


Should've Hopped Faster

by TheHeathenSlave



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Anal Sex, Blood and Gore, Bondage, Cannibalism, Canonical Character Death, Cock & Ball Torture, Dubious Consent, Established Relationship, F/M, Fear Play, Gun Kink, Hair-pulling, Humiliation, Implied Scat, Knifeplay, M/M, Major Character Injury, Masochism, Multi, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Oral Sex, Psychological Torture, Rape, Rape/Non-con Elements, Restraints, Rough Oral Sex, Sadism, Sexual Assault, Torture, Verbal Humiliation, Violence, Vomiting, Watersports
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-20 01:21:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 60,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10652046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHeathenSlave/pseuds/TheHeathenSlave
Summary: Something has happened to Freddie Lounds. Except she can't exactly remember what. Waking up in the hospital she finds her throat has been cut and the only sounds she can make are ones of a scared rabbit. She has been injured, and is shortly informed by Will and Jack that when she was found she was drenched in blood that wasn't her own. The blood of Abigail Hobbs.With no memory of the events of the past three days, but knowing that she didn't kill Abigail (no matter how insistent Jack is that she did) she only has a small amount of time to recover the memories and figure out what happened. Hannibal is far more involved in this than she realized, but as memories surface her horror grows as she recovers more and more memories from the events leading up to Abigail's death.





	1. Rabbit Blood

**Author's Note:**

> Consensual Hannigram sex. Non-Consensual/Dubious Consensual Hannilounds Sex. Past & Established Bedannibal. Eventual Forced Femslash between Bedelia and Freddie Lounds) basically no one should read this. Reposted with permission.
> 
> Original Notes: This is really a fucked up story. Most of the stuff in the first chapter is just implied but it's going to get worse. A lot worse. There will be rape, torture, mutilations, graphic depictions of violence, terror, death. It's probably best not to read this. Any of it. It's incredibly dark and twisted Hannibal Lecter. For all intents and purposes it's also AU because it changes the method in which Abigail was killed and Freddie's importance in the story, as well as when Abigail's death occurred in the timeline of the series. If you are interested in all of this, please continue

When she woke up in the hospital room, people were staring down at her. People she knew, faces that were only fake concerned for her welbeing. There was very little pain, but her head was also rather fuzzy, most likely she was on painkillers.  
  
Jack Crawford and Will Graham. Will looking concerned but also like he didn't want to be there. Jack looking concerned but also like he had an agenda. _What had she done? What had happened?_ Her head hurt, her throat hurt, everything below her waist was sore and painful.  
  
"She's awake." Will said.  
  
"Can she talk?" Jack asked.  
  
_Yeah I_ \-- But all that came out was a weird, scratchy, pained whimpering sound. Like a scared rabbit. She moved to put a hand to her throat but it was wrapped in a cast. What the fuck had happened to her?  
  
"They said it would take a bit for her throat to heal. Hand even longer." Will said and sat down by her. She was terrified, though she knew these people she didn't really know them. There were black spots in her memory that she couldn't fill in. "Freddie...what happened to you?" He asked slowly.  
  
_I'd tell you if I could talk_ she thought as she glared at him intently. It had been her dominant hand injured. Good luck writing anything down. Maybe if someone thought to get her a computer or something she could type with her good hand. _It was still good, right?_ She looked over at it. _Yes, that hand was fine_. She flexed it slowly. Frustrated, she looked around the room. Jack had his phone out and she pointed at it. He looked at her as if she was a moron.  
  
Will sighed, and then some how seemed to pick up on what she wanted. He got his own phone out and put it in her good hand. She took it and scrolled through the applications on it until she found one that would take notes and started to type in words. **WHY AM I HERE** it said.  
  
"You were found, in an alley, covered in blood that wasn't....yours." Will said his breath hitching a bit. Now he just looked upset. Freddie flicked her eyes to Jack, almost angrily. She didn't exactly hate Will, he had been a means to an end for her, entertainment, but this was weird and she didn't like the tone of his voice.  
  
**WHO'S BLOOD?** she typed.  
  
"Abigail Hobbs." Jack said. Will looked panicked at that point and rushed out of there quickly. Freddie's eye twitched and she laid back down. _Abigail? Why was she even with that girl? The book? Were they meeting because of the book? What had happened?_  
  
**DEAD?** she asked.  
  
"Enough blood to declare her dead. No body. You know where it is." Jack accused.  
  
**FUCK OFF** she typed and held it out to him. He grabbed her wrist and got down in her face.  
  
"Listen to me, Ms. Lounds. This is not a game. You were last known to be with her, just you, it's in your appointment book. You were dripping with her blood. You know what happened." Jack insisted. She swallowed hard, then winced, it hurt her throat. She most likely did know what happened, she just couldn't remember at that point.  
  
**DIDN'T KILL**  
  
"Prove it!" Jack nearly roared at her.  
  
**CAN'T REMEMBER**  
  
He rolled his eyes and threw his hands up, exasperated over this as if it was her fault she had been assaulted, yes because clearly this was how she intended to wake up on a Saturday morning. _Was it Saturday?_ She looked at Will's phone. _Monday? What the hell had happened to her?_ She closed her eyes and laid back, trying very hard to remember something. Anything really. Retrace her steps.  
  
Friday night she had been invited to Hannibal's place. Yes, because he wanted to stalk around and annoy her while she interviewed Abigail. She already recognized that as suspicious but she never said a thing about it. Just observe. If anyone had something to hide it was Hannibal Lecter.  
  
So she had gone over there. They were working, or _she_ was trying to. Abigail was complaining about something, she hadn't really been listening. That girl would have had so much potential if she would have just started telling the truth. Yes, she had been thinking about that when Hannibal came in the room with tea. Tea and cookies. Shortbread, home made. She only ate them because the tea was bitter, and she really hadn't wanted to drink it. The cookies made it better.  
  
For now, that's where the memories ended. Things got really fuzzy after that, way too fuzzy. All she could remember were weird sounds, smells. Earth, blood...screams, cries...something had gone wrong.  
  
**HANNIBAL**  
  
She typed slowly and held the phone out to Jack. He wasn't looking at her, he was back looking at his own phone. Frustrated, she let out another pathetic little scared rabbit noise and he looked up.  
  
"He's not here."  
  
She resisted the urge to write ' _no shit_ ' and instead wrote **WHERE?** on the phone. He should be with Will, right? Especially if Abigail was presumed dead.  
  
"Taking some time off. This news isn't sitting well with him." Jack said. "Why does it matter?"  
  
**LAST PERSON I REMEMBER WITH ABIGAIL** She wrote. Jack took the phone and looked at it.  
  
"He was with you and Abigail?" Jack asked. She nodded her head slowly. "Then what?"  
  
**DRANK TEA THINGS GET FUZZY AFTER** she wrote after yanking the phone back from him. This was getting tedious. Someone should get her a computer, one that could actually talk for her, because she figured she was going to have a hell of a lot of explaining to do to people.  
  
"I'm going to get you a better way to communicate. Rest until then. Try to remember everything you can." Jack said and then left in a hurry. He had left her with the phone, it was Will's phone though, and where had he gone? He hadn't looked good. All pale and kind of clammy. She shouldn't even be worried about that but her worry was in overdrive now, she couldn't help it. She sighed and checked the battery life on the phone. Nearly 100%. At least he hadn't been too unstable to charge the damn thing.  
  
She laid back and closed her eyes. Unfortunately horrible nightmares were what greeted her this time.

* * *

When she woke up again, only Will was there and he looked rather distressed, more so than the first time she woke up but she realized it was because she had been making sounds. She stopped herself and frowned at him slightly.  
  
"Got you a computer." He said and went to grab it. He set it up on a table that slid over the bed. It was a laptop, one she hadn't seen before, possibly his own. She nodded her head and sat up a bit. He adjusted the bed for her to make her more comfortable. Her good hand reached out and she typed ' _thank you_ '.  
  
"Not a problem." He said. "Do you remember anything? Jack said you did."  
  
_Just going to see Abigail to work on the book. Hannibal brought us tea, cookies as well. The tea was bitter but I drank it anyway, Abigail was boring me so it gave me something to do with my time. Then things get fuzzy...weird._  
  
"Weird how?" Will asked.  
  
_I only have sounds and smells as a memory after that. Weird sounds and smells. Screams, cries, blood, dirt, grass, and leaves. No solid images._  
  
"What were you just dreaming about?" He asked.  
  
_Rabbits._  
  
"Rabbits?"  
  
She nodded her head. That's what she was dreaming about, bunny rabbits. At least, that's what she remembered. Apparently it had been a bad dream because she had woke with a huge sense of unease, danger, but all she could remember was little white bunny rabbits hopping around in a field of wild flowers.  
  
"Are you afraid of them cause--" He paused to let out almost a pained laugh, "You were kind of shrieking."  
  
_I was? I'm not afraid of rabbits but that's all I can remember about the dream right now. Someone should question Hannibal. He might know what happened after I drank that tea._  
  
"Jack went to talk to him." Will said, "If you remember anything, anything at all we are going to need to know."  
  
_Yes, **IF** I remember anything._  
  
She gave him a slight glare. He nodded and then stood up. This whole meeting was awkward and strange. It was like he cared but he was trying really hard not to care because she was who she was and he was supposed to hate her. Though she knew about his empathy thing, maybe he just couldn't help it.  
  
"I'll be back soon." He said softly, "I need...air or coffee or something." He left the room muttering softly to himself and she watched him go. Looking around she reached for the button that would give her more of the painkillers that she was hooked up to on an IV and laid back. At least those would help take her mind off of things.

 _"You look stunning in that color." Hannibal said. Freddie looked up, setting the tea down, the cup was almost finished. She didn't even know how she had managed to do that with how bitter it was. It was a combination of drinking it quickly and eating the cookies as well._  
  
_"Thank...you?" She replied, arching an eyebrow. Since when did he compliment her for anything she did? He usually didn't talk to her at all if he didn't have to. He smiled at her, just slightly, very slightly. It seemed almost exaggerated though, like her vision was obscured. She blinked a few times._  
  
_"You're very welcome." He said and sat down by her, way too close, and yet she was too complacent in the moment to be aware he was violating her personal space. He moved in, a hand came up to brush some of her thick curls back from the side of her face. "How much time do you spend on this hair?" His hand gently grasped a curl and pulled it down. He released it and it bounced back into place. She laughed, or at least heard the sound of her own laughter but didn't feel herself making it._  
  
_"Not much." She said, turning to look at him, it felt like she was underwater. Colors were too vivid, sounds were too detailed. It was bright in there, very bright in there. "I think something is wrong." It was hard to speak, her words were all mushed together. Was he flirting with her? Where was Abigail?_  
  
_"Nothing is wrong, Ms. Lounds. I'm just seeing you in a different light is all." Hannibal breathed in her ear. A sound of a whimper, possibly her own. She blinked a few times. It wasn't that she didn't want this but she didn't think it was right either._  
  
_"Abigail..." She muttered._  
  
_"She's fine. In her room." Hannibal said, "I sent her away."_  
  
_"You want to fuck." Freddie said. Another disconnected laugh echoed through the room or her own head, and it sounded like her but also not like her. What she had just said was not a question, it was a statement of fact._  
  
_"I wouldn't exactly put it so crudely, but yes." Hannibal confirmed and then his mouth was on her neck, kissing, nipping the skin, as he pushed her hair back._  
  
_"What if I say no?"_  
  
_"You can't." He told her._

* * *

Freddie woke up with a sharp breath, looking around the room wildly. She grasped at her throat, wishing more than anything she could actually talk. _Fuck. Was that a dream?_ No. That was a memory! _That was a damn memory_. It was too oddly specific to be a dream. She had sex dreams about a lot of people she encountered, they were never that detailed or that real. Her sex dreams about Hannibal were usually quick, violent, and left her feeling sated. That had just left her feeling odd.  
  
Her good hand came up and she started to type it out as fast as she could. It was annoying that she couldn't use both hands but at least this left her with a way to communicate. There had been something in the tea. She had figured out that much. If it was that bitter he had put something in it. That was the only thing that made sense, and whatever he had put in it, had caused her to lose time and sense of her own self.  
  
She heard a ringing. Not the phone in her room but Will's phone. He had still left it there with her? Why? Forgetful man. She rolled her eyes and picked it up. Without stopping to think about the fact that she couldn't speak she slid the bar to connect the call and put it to her ear. Then she made that weird rabbit sound again instead of actually saying a word. There was a pause. _Had she even checked who was calling?_ She pulled the phone back and saw it was Hannibal. Figured.  
  
"Ms. Lounds. Why do you have William's phone?" His voice was calm, firm. All she could do was squeak awkwardly. She wanted to tell him that she'd give it back to Will, he had just been kind of an unstable moron and left it there for some reason. She didn't know where he was either so it wasn't like she could go get him. There was a long pause. Was he going to say something? Give her instructions? Maybe a message she was supposed to pass on to Will? That was really the only reason she wasn't hanging up. As well as the fact that hearing his voice in that moment was trigging more memories of the time she was missing. "Should've hopped faster." He said after a moment. There was then silence.  
  
She blinked a few times and pulled the phone away. A chill ran through her, suddenly she felt nauseous. Consciously that statement made no sense. Subconsciously it was fucking her up on a level she didn't understand. She threw the phone down to the end of the bed and stared at it. In that moment, she was pretty sure she was the one who was supposed to be dead, not Abigail.

 


	2. Run Rabbit

 

> _She was on a bed, or a couch, something soft, far softer than the floor or a table. Hannibal was above her. He was in her, fucking her. She could feel his cock. Her eyes were focused in on his intently. He looked like he was in pleasure but also on a mission._  
>    
>  _Had she agreed to this? She couldn't imagine she'd have said yes to letting him fuck her. Her eyes closed, with each thrust brilliant colors exploded in her field of vision. Intense, she could practically taste them. Each color had it's own taste, unique, flavorful, like one of his meals. Then she started to get nauseous and opened her eyes again. He was still on her._  
>    
>  _His thrusts were hard, deliberate, still in his suit. Why was she allowing this? He said Abigail was in her room, she couldn't hear them right?_  
>    
>  _"Abigail..." She muttered again, her own voice sounding completely alien to her. Her face was met with the back of his hand in a vicious blow, more colors and tastes, then her hair was yanked roughly. And odd sound seeped from her throat._  
>    
>  _"Master." A dark voice hissed. She was watching Hannibal's face and she was sure it was his voice but his mouth hadn't moved, or had it? That wasn't right though. She wouldn't ever agree to call him or anyone else Master. He wasn't raping her but she was not okay. Hadn't he told her she couldn't say no? Had he taken away her ability to consent? Was this how he justified the sex as consensual? It wasn't._  
>    
>  _"S-Stop...." She whispered. He grabbed her throat._  
>    
>  _"I'm not stopping. I own you." He breathed and got down, biting into her shoulder. She screamed another alien scream. Weak and pathetic. Her hands reached up to grope at his tie, his suit, anything to get him to stop. He wouldn't. He just kept going._

* * *

"FREDDIE!" An urgent voice woke her. It was Will and her eyes snapped open almost instantly. _That was a memory. Fuck. Oh God._ She felt sick and ended up gagging. Will looked around and grabbed a trash can. Pulling her into a sitting position she puked twice. Her eyes went wide when she saw what had just come out of her. Blood. A lot of it. Those noises, she started making them, half screams, half whimpers like a wounded animal. "Stop! STOP!" Will said and moved the bin from her hastily. She turned and clutched him tightly pressing her face into his chest.  
  
At that point she didn't care he was Will Graham, that was one of the worst possible things she could have remembered. Or well, up until that point. It was just going to get worse, especially if Abigail was dead and she had been covered in her blood. Apparently she had ate her as well because there was no way that was her own blood, right? The doctors would have found out she was bleeding internally by now.  
  
"Freddie--I...stop I don't...I--I can't..." Will started to stutter. He was clearly dismayed by this, hugging her back awkwardly and patting her hair. Her good hand reached out for the keyboard of the laptop. Being a writer for a living she didn't have to look at the keys to know what she was typing once her hand found the right position. She typed in five single letters.  
  
**R-A-P-E-D**  
  
Will turned his head slowly once she brought her hand down, to see what she was trying to tell him. He pulled back from her startled. She looked to him desperately and he was shaking his head in disbelief. She knew how he must be feeling because it seemed implausible at that point. With all he must be going through losing Abigail (if she was lost) and then finding her in the condition she was in, his brain must have been about to explode.  
  
"W-What? By who?" Will whispered.  
  
With a choked sob, her hand reached out again. Her eyes closed and she found the proper positioning on the keyboard after another moment. Taking in a deep breath she started to press the buttons. She didn't want to have to do this, she wished it was Jack there, or Alana, or someone else, really anyone, but she knew if she didn't do this now she'd never tell she would lose her strength. It had to be Will.  
  
**Hannibal Lecter.**  
  
"Freddie stop it. Hannibal would never..." He trailed off and put a hand over his face. He sounded horrified, disgusted. She whimpered softly and reached to type again.  
  
**This is not something I would lie about. Look at me Will. Do I look like I'm lying. You just saw me puke...you cannot fake that type of violent reaction.**  
  
He wasn't looking at her, or the computer. She pounded her fist down on the table next to it trying to get him to look up he was pacing.  
  
**What did I throw up?**  
  
She typed under it. He still wouldn't look. She pounded her fist down again. This time into the keyboard and the computer made a jarring _**BEEP**_ noise as if it were annoyed with her. This got his attention and he looked up. Coming closer he read the screen and then looked over at the trash can. There was more than just blood in there, flesh, pulpy tissue. She had seen it, and most likely that had been Abigail.  
  
"I'll get it tested." He said and went to grab the can.  
  
**Don't leave me alone, please, at least call someone else. That woman...Alana.**  
  
"No...fuck no...Alana isn't going to hear your lies." Will snarled at her. She pounded her fist down onto the keyboard, another jarring beep. She pointed at the screen, at what she had written before, about not being able to fake that kind of reaction.  
  
**Was I raped at all? The doctors would have checked. If there is a rape kit, test it.**  
  
Will looked at her. He looked just as sick as she felt, and she also imagined that she looked.  
  
"Against who? Hannibal?"  
  
She glared at him.  
  
"There is no reason to--" Her fist came down again, and again, causing two loud beeps in a row. "FINE! But if you drag him through this to further your own stupid agenda I swear to God--"  
  
She looked at him. Though she couldn't speak her gaze was intense, and she was holding his. Some how holding his eyes even though he was Will Graham the man who never shook hands or made eye contact. Some part of him believed her but a bigger part wanted to deny it.  
  
_**I'm not lying.** _  
  
She mouthed the words slowly, and carefully so he would understand them. He turned away from her angrily and grabbed the trash can. Heading out of there quickly, the door slammed behind him. She winced and then saw his phone at the end of the bed. Dammit. Sitting up she moved to grab it. As soon as she did it started to ring. Hannibal again.  
  
She dropped the phone onto her lap and started to sob rather pathetically. She wanted to scream but all she could do was make those really weird animal noises and they were freaking her out. Reaching hastily for the painkiller button she found it and pressed the button repeatedly. The thing was regulated and after the first push nothing else would happen but she was scared and frustrated. She just wanted things to stop.

* * *

Upon waking again, thankfully there were no dreams this time, a rather attractive woman was in there. FBI. She knew because of the badge pinned to her very expensive looking blazer. The woman was tall, curvy, fit. Beautiful expressive green eyes. Her hair was elaborately tied up on the top of her head in a series of intricate braids. She had a gun on her hip which was slightly hidden by her blazer. Two very elegant legs peeked out from under the skirt and led to high heels that must have cost a fortune.  
  
Will's computer was gone. There was something new in front of her. She looked at it, she had seen one of these things. It tracked eye movements to help type or convey messages. The woman must have brought it with her.  
  
"Look here." She said softly and pointed to the camera at the top of the device. It wasn't large, about the size of a laptop as well. Her voice was calming, very nice. It made Freddie feel quite a bit more relaxed than anything Will or Jack had done. "I need to calibrate it to track you, I'll answer questions in a moment, it'll be easier if you can ask them yourself."  
  
Freddie nodded and then looked right at the camera where the well manicured hand was pointing. The woman went behind the device and pressed a few buttons. Freddie only knew this because she could hear the sound of keys clicking. The was a soft ding once the thing calibrated and a keyboard popped up. Freddie started to look it over, trying to test out how the damn thing worked.  
  
"Take your time, you'll get the hang of it. It's far easier to do than you might think. People usually over think how to do this and that's what makes it harder on them." The woman said, "I'm agent Leila Dawson. Sex crimes. I was informed there was a sexual assault here." Freddie looked at her and back to the keyboard.  
  
It took maybe about three minutes but she was able to get the name  _Will Graham_ up there with a question mark.  
  
"Not sure who that is. One of my superiors sent me." She said and sat down. "I checked into it, of course. High profile case. After you write something if you look here, it will say it for you." Leila explained as she pointed to an icon that had a speaker on it. It looked like a volume control that one would have on an iPod. Freddie knew the icon well.  
  
"Rape kit?" The computer finally asked for her. It was getting easier to do this. The more she worked her eyes over the keyboard and the functions the better adapted she was becoming to it. Leila was right, it was incredibly easy which probably would cause people to over think using a thing like this. However, she was desperate to communicate with someone so her brain just kind of adapted to how to work it.  
  
"Yes, that was done. No fluids." Leila said, "Signs of vaginal and...anal tearing." Her voice was gentle, apologetic. Freddie closed her eyes. Obviously if that bastard was going to rape her he wasn't going to be dumb enough to leave anything in her. Either he used a condom or he cleaned up incredibly well after. He was a doctor he would know how to do that.  
  
"No, of course not, he's too smart." The computer voice spoke after a moment.  
  
"Who? You know who did this?" Leila asked.  
  
"A man. Hannibal Lecter." She replied quickly and then turned her head to look at the FBI Agent. Leila nodded and took in a deep breath.  
  
"Knowing who did this is a start. We can file a report and make sure he's investigated." She said and put a hand on top of Freddie's, "You've been through a lot. Extensive injuries, I can't imagine you don't want to see that man brought down."  
  
"Yes but I don't know if it was rape or not." She said.  
  
"Did you want to have sex with him?" Leila asked.  
  
"No, but I think I was really really high." Freddie explained, "I mean I don't ever remember saying no but the laws would..." she typed backwards and there was gibberish spoken for a split second before she regained what she was trying to do, "That means it's rape. Intoxication means I can't consent."  
  
"Correct." Leila said. "Why were you intoxicated?"  
  
"He did it. Something in the tea he gave me. I'm sure of it." Freddie said. Leila nodded. She pulled a notepad from an inner pocket and started to write a few things down before looking at her. "You do know he probably also killed a girl, right?"  
  
"I read the entire incident report. I know. I'm just specifically here for counseling, and this part." She said.  
  
"Counseling?"  
  
"I'm a forensic psychiatrist. I specialize in this stuff and they wanted to make sure you had someone to talk to." Leila said. Freddie nodded.  
  
"Thank you. Don't leave yet?"  
  
"I'm here until you get sick of me. I won't leave." Leila smiled and put her hand back on Freddie's once she was done writing whatever she had been writing. The cover to the note pad had come down before Freddie could look at it again.  
  
"Hannibal might try to get in here. Don't let him. Shoot him if he comes near me." Leila laughed a bit and Freddie smiled at her. She knew Leila couldn't just shoot Hannibal but she was angry and she wanted to get across exactly how angry she was.  
  
"I'll shoot on sight." Leila said and then winked. Freddie nodded and rested back in the bed. Her hand came up and gave Leila's soft one a firm squeeze. She was very thankful that this woman was sent in when she had been. Had she woken up alone again she wouldn't have known what to do. 

* * *

Hannibal was incredibly unhappy with circumstances being what they were. He was at home, telling everyone he was taking time off to deal with the death of Abigail. At least the alleged death. He knew she was dead, he had been the one who had done it. Though to act like it was an actual fact would be his doom. He was unhappy because it shouldn't have been Abigail, it should have been Freddie.  
  
That woman had proved to be a very unpredictable variable in this whole situation. Even drugged, with her mind warped, her body tortured, her throat cut, her hand broken she had managed to keep being so incredibly vicious. It was as if her survival instincts completely took over. He hadn't seen anything like it, well not in a long time at least. The will to live in that woman was just amazing. Part of him was tempted to test the will again and part of him was tempted to just kill her.  
  
He had never expected her to attack like that, had never anticipated she would or even could get the drop on him. Now he had a wound to the abdomen, a rather deep one that he had to fix himself. Knowing the body as well as he did he knew how close she had come to hitting his liver. Breaking it open and filling his body with toxins. He would have died or come close to it getting help. If she knew what she was doing or it was just a lucky stab in the dark she had gotten him good enough to get away, and yet he still wasn't sure how she had gotten that far.  
  
He had looked for her after he had fixed himself up. Where he had taken her, the winding paths, the thick forest, she shouldn't have been able to find anyone, any help, any thing. Dumb luck and a really incredible survival instinct had gotten her help when she should have been his dinner. Freddie Lounds seemed to get what she wanted, come hell or high water and now he was suffering.  
  
It would just take another day before he could hide the pain he was in rather easily, for now, he would spend the time alone. As far as he was aware, currently, Freddie did not have complete memories of anything. He knew she couldn't speak, wouldn't be able to do so properly for about a week. The cuts he had made hadn't been meant to stay permanent. They were quick, done out of frustration to get her to shut up and to instill fear into Abigail over what might be done to her.  
  
Both had worked, but he had planned on her dying, which was why he hadn't taken the time to actually make it permanent. If she had been able to communicate at that point, she wasn't saying anything about him. Something needed to be done about her, he had to keep her quiet. Had to convince her silence was in her best interest if she wanted to live. It didn't mean he would keep her living, it would just buy him time until he could make up his mind over what to do with his little pest problem.  
  
The only reason he hadn't wanted to kill Abigail was she would have been far more useful in the long run. She was already fairly loyal to him but then he had found the note. The one meant for Freddie, the one Freddie never saw. It had been a nice confession, it had detailed all of Abigail's suspicious about him very concisely. By chance he had seen it sticking out of the side of a book she was reading. The last few letters in Freddie's name. With as little as he trusted both of them to keep anything a secret he had taken the note and she hadn't noticed it had been moved before drinking the tea as well. He had no clue when it had been written or when Abigail had intended to give it to Freddie. She had never become lucid enough to answer correctly before she had needed to be disposed of.  
  
The longer she sat in that hospital room the longer she had to figure out what had happened and communicate it to someone, anyone. He hadn't given her anything that would black out everything permanently or only half of it. She was supposed to be dead he wouldn't have thought that far ahead. Things would come back to her and they would start to make sense. His only real hope now was getting through to Will before she could say a damn thing to condemn his name.

 


	3. Rabbit Food

"This is a wild accusation if I ever heard one." Jack basically snapped at her. Leila had only gone there as a professional courtesy. After doing a bit of research into Hannibal Lecter and who he was, she found that he did a lot of consultant work for the FBI and was closest to Jack Crawford. It was best to inform him of her intentions, at least she had thought that, but now it was becoming clear that he was going to tie her hands with red tape so she couldn't get her arrest.

"Sir, with all due respect, Ms. Lounds named him as her attacker." Leila explained, "I have a job to do and I will not--"

"Are you aware of what Ms. Lounds does for a living?" Jack asked her seriously. Leila couldn't exactly believe what she was hearing. This man worked for the FBI and he was the head of a department. Yet, here he was trying to stop an arrest. This man's loyalties to Hannibal Lecter were dangerous and she didn't like it.

"I hardly think that excludes her from being a rape victim." She replied.

"It may not exclude her from being a rape victim but it does make her a candidate to be a liar." Jack said. Leila looked at him from across his desk. She could go ahead with the arrest anyway but she knew as soon as she did Hannibal would have a very easy time getting out of it. She was just a field agent, Crawford could trump anything she did and almost instantly. "Ms. Lounds is also a suspect in the death of Abigail Hobbs. Wouldn't you think she'd want to divert attention from that?"

"Look, sir, I am a forensic psychiatrist. My specialty is sexual deviance, behavior, and crimes. I talked extensively to Ms. Lounds and I do not believe she is lying about a sexual assault." Leila tried to clarify. She was being nice about it for now, she was never one to exactly get in the face of people who were above her, it didn't look good. This man was irritating though and rumors of how he behaved had traveled through the FBI like wildfire. Taking risks, what had happened to one of his students, how he broke the rules with Will Graham. It hadn't taken much to find out about that man either. She was glad that Freddie had mentioned his name to her.

"She may not be lying about a sexual assault but she may be lying about who did it. Did you consider that yet? The last people she was with were Hannibal Lecter and Abigail Hobbs. She was drugged as well, I saw the lab reports. Is there not a possibility that her memories are wrong?" He asked. Leila was trying very hard not to glare at him. If he used this argument, yes, there would be a hell of a lot of doubt put into the heads of a jury if this was to go to trial. Any lawyer with half a brain could use it as well. Though Leila didn't think Freddie was lying at all, she had to think of what would be more obvious to a jury of people who were mostly idiots themselves. There was physical evidence of a sexual assault and Freddie was claiming she knew who did it. However, with the presence of the drug in her system that could throw doubt into peoples heads.

"Hannibal Lecter drugged her." She countered.

"And this will be proved, how?" Jack asked.

"I'll get a warrant for his house. That's where she was, correct?"

"And when it turns up nothing?" Jack replied.

"It won't turn up nothing." She nearly snapped back at him. She was convinced it wouldn't but she didn't know how meticulous Hannibal was with these things. Jack seemed so cocky about this that he was probably going to help her obtain a warrant just to prove how wrong she was. At least she was going on the assumption that he was wrong. She was about to be very disappointed in the results of the search.

* * *

Early on Tuesday morning, Hannibal was getting ready to go into work. He was still sore from the stab wound Freddie had left in his gut but he also knew that taking off much more time would look suspicious. He could ask for more but since no one really knew Abigail's fate (except him) it would look weird if he wasn't at least trying to pretend to hold out some hope she wasn't dead. There was obviously too much blood, even if he had not committed the murder himself he'd say she was dead just from the outside looking in. He was supposed to have some sort of attachment to the little cow, though, and if he didn't at least pretend he was trying to believe she could be alive people would think it was odd. That's when there was a heavy knock on his door.

He set down his coffee and tugged on his shirt a bit to straighten it out and grabbed his keys before heading towards the door. He wasn't expecting anyone, so this couldn't possibly be a good thing. When he opened it, Will was there, as well as a rather attractive woman he had never seen before and a team of forensic agents. He knew that this was a search even before the woman held up the order for it. He had no idea what she expected to find in there, but it didn't matter anyway, because she would find nothing. He wasn't exactly stupid enough to leave evidence in his own house and he knew what every last piece of 'evidence' was that could be used against him.

"Hannibal Lecter, we have a warrant to search the premises, please step out of the house." The woman said in a firm voice. He didn't like her, immediately he didn't like her. That tone and that smug look on her face. She was after something, he wasn't aware of what yet, but he was guessing she was going to have to be disposed of. His gaze then turned to Will who looked overly apologetic. It seemed like he didn't even want to be there, but there was a huge chance Jack had made him tag along on this anyway.

"I'm sorry, may I see your badge?" He asked her.

"Leila Dawson. FBI." She said and swiftly removed her badge from the inner pocket of her jacket. Her tone was already annoyed and he knew it was because she knew that he was aware that she was FBI and he was making her do it anyway. Upon request she had to show ID in order to enter the house.

"I have done nothing wrong, I'm not exactly sure what this is about." He said but stepped out of the house nonetheless.

"Freddie Lounds." Will muttered, not looking at him. Hannibal nodded and walked towards his car. He wondered if they had a warrant for that too. Not that they'd find anything but he'd like to at least try to get into work. Luckily he had grabbed his car keys before he had answered the door. If he didn't want to be late and calling clients all morning to reschedule he was going to have to leave in a few minutes anyway.

The team of agents, plus the new Leila Dawson woman entered his house. They were going to have to do a lot of searching for absolutely nothing. Though he could have checked the warrant to see what specifically they were looking for, he found he didn't care, as they weren't going to find anything and it didn't exactly matter. It was curious that Freddie Lounds was behind this though. What exactly could she have remembered by this point? It was probably best to get information out of Will while the four of them were in the house.

"What about Ms. Lounds warrants a search on my house?" he asked looking in the younger man's direction.

"Allegations of rape." He replied.

"That's ridiculous." Hannibal said very quickly, almost cutting Will off from his small explanation. "I would never do such a thing. What could they possibly hope to find in there as evidence of this assault?"

"Agent Dawson insists she can find traces of the drug that showed up in Freddie's tox screen. Psilocybin." Will told him.

"Hallucinogenic mushrooms." Hannibal stated, "Why would I have that?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Will muttered and then brought his fingers to either side of his head and pressed them there for a moment. It seemed he was just as annoyed about this as Hannibal was, just showing more emotion into it. Hannibal knew Leila was not going to find anything of the sort in there. It wasn't exactly legal for him to have those mushrooms anyway so he would have cleaned up after the fact. Freddie was getting a bit more unpredictable though. He was going to have to make sure that she kept her mouth shut. Even if it meant shutting it for her.

* * *

 

> _"I'm not sure leaving is a good idea." Abigail's voice now. Freddie was still rather fuzzy. The colors were still too vivid. Though they were starting to dim now as she became more lucid she was still aware of her own intoxication. Abigail was rather 'high' as well. Giggling a lot. It was annoying her. All she wanted to do was slap the little bitch and shut her up. Hannibal had wanted to go somewhere, she wasn't sure where, nor did she care._
> 
> _They had just had sex, she didn't remember agreeing to the sex either. Maybe she had? She felt kind of gross. He had made her clean up, and very well at that. The water was too hot, then too cold. He had watched her. It was one of the only times a shower had made her feel more dirty._
> 
> _Abigail seemed ready to go run around and pick flowers in the the light of the full moon. All Freddie wanted to do was lie down. Abigail wouldn't shut up with her stupid questions. Freddie was already aware that the two of them were going with Hannibal if they liked it or not, so she had gone silent. She was hoping to get some sleep in the car and at that point she didn't care if the sleep was forever. Things were too warped, bright, out of place. Sounds echoing as if they were from underwater. Abigail's giggles and tone grated on her._
> 
> _Hannibal was telling her something, something about how it would be a nice trip. Freddie wanted to see his cabin. Which she didn't, she hadn't been informed of anything Hannibal was now telling Abigail. It was pointless to say anything though. Both of them were very, very drugged and it wasn't going to end any time soon. She had drank a whole big cup of that tea. She was pretty sure she'd be tripping for hours on end._
> 
> _"Just...shut up and get in the car...Abigail." Freddie managed to spit out. It was hard to talk, words seemed complicated. Her mouth felt full of cotton or peanut butter and it felt like there was some massive energy behind pushing out that one little thought she just had. She stumbled a bit and Hannibal's hand was on her waist to steady her. Her hand came out to push at him but it was weak, very weak and she was rather helpless to stop him as he guided her into the backseat of the car. Some how it had been implanted into her brain that it was just better to listen to him than to fight. She wasn't sure when she had become **THAT** type of person but it would take too much work to lift her legs to run. She barely wanted to walk._

* * *

Freddie had been sitting in her hospital room trying to write out everything she remembered. Well, more like use the computer that Agent Dawson had brought her to get it down. The more she worked with the thing the faster she was getting. There were two guards outside of her room. Uniformed. Before Dawson had left she heard her inform them that Hannibal Lecter was not allowed in the room. Only authorized FBI and other law enforcement with ID was. It made her feel a bit better but she knew if Lecter wanted to get in there he was going to get in there.

Will had returned to get his cell phone. At least she wouldn't have to worry about that going off again. It had been awkward enough trying to answer it. As time passed, her brain was adjusting to the fact that she just wasn't able to talk so she didn't try to make any sounds. From what she had gathered it might be a week or a bit more before she would have any use of her voice. Her broken hand throbbed and the rest of her body ached but she found any time she used the painkiller button she had some sort of bad dream or recalled another memory.

It was probably in her best interest to recall everything she could and as fast as possible but it was making her feel sick. She wanted to find out if Will had gotten her vomit analyzed. The way he had taken it out of there, she wasn't exactly sure if he was actually going to do it or not. It would have been rather easy to discard and then have someone explain to her why it couldn't be tested. Though she hadn't seen much of what had come up, the coppery taste had been a dead giveaway that a lot of it was blood. It was also more, chunky, than just a thick liquid. She had eaten something and she wanted to know what it was, as at that point she really didn't remember.

Tired and in a lot of pain, she closed her eyes to rest. On the computer screen there was already a lot of writing. Every last detail she could remember pertaining to her sexual assault. It was rather hard to explain especially when her memories were mostly sensory. Sounds and smells. Less visual recollection than she would have liked to have. When she couldn't actually fall asleep, she found her hand groping for that button that would give her more demorol or morphine or whatever the hell they had decided to put in the little bag that would dull her senses. It wasn't exactly the best idea for her but she knew that the sooner she could this out the sooner she could prove that she had nothing to do with the death of Abigail Hobbs.

* * *

 

> _"You need to be very, very quiet Ms. Lounds." Hannibal said. His tone was rather menacing but not overly threatening. Maybe it was the way in which he spoke. His voice had not been raised. All Freddie knew was she didn't want to be quiet. Somewhere along the way to the cabin she had passed out. Which was good and bad, good because it had helped her become far more lucid, bad because now she had absolutely no clue where she was. It didn't matter much anyway because she was restrained again and still too sedated to actually do anything about it._
> 
> _"Let me go, I don't know what you want with us, I don't care. I can keep secrets. I won't tell anyone." She breathed. His hand was on the back of her neck, gripping it way too hard. That was possibly what had been so menacing about the statement. Not the words but the way he was holding her, as if she were some feral cat that he had to subdue. His eyes were pure evil, she was pretty sure they were red. This whole situation was wrong._
> 
> _From the corner of her eye she could see Abigail laying on the couch, babbling incoherently but softly as she looked up at her hands. Did that girl ever shut up? Why was she the one who needed to be quiet? Had she been screaming? They were in a cabin, a nice one but rather small. From the decor she knew it was Hannibal's. She hadn't remembered walking in there, it was possible he had carried her. Now she was on her feet just staring up at him stupidly as he explained stuff to her. Not all of which she could remember either. It was like he was inside her head, his gentle voice guiding her, whispering suggestions of how she was to behave._
> 
> _"That is correct, you won't tell anyone." He whispered in her ear. Why wasn't Abigail helping her? That girl seemed even more stoned than she currently was. Hannibal was drugging her, both of them. Whatever he was feeding them was making them too willing to comply with his orders. She was coming out of it though, Abigail was staying at about the same level of intoxication. Her arm was grabbed. Pressure then the pain of a needle. The burn of something as it was injected into her. She opened her mouth to scream again. More pain. This time to her throat. Blood. Lots of it._
> 
> _The colors and smells became far more vivid again. The world seemed to collapse in on itself. His hand was at her neck, pressing, pressing very very hard. He had done something. So much blood, pain. He wouldn't stop. Her panicked brain told her he was trying to strangle her. More giggles from Abigail. Her hands clawed at his. Why was he still in that suit? That damn suit that seemed to mock her. She struggled, pressed into the wall. Blood. God she could smell it. Gags rising in her throat, she couldn't full on retch because of how his hand was pressed into her. Then darkness._

* * *

Freddie woke with a loud gasp. Fuck. Another memory. He had injected her, forcefully, with more of that stuff. Whatever had been in the tea. She remembered Abigail more clearly though. The girl had to have been given the same thing just reacted differently. It was possible she was willingly ingesting it. At some point she probably started to refuse. the memory had told her she was aware that the tea was drugged and though there were still huge gaps, she was pretty sure had he tried to give her more she would have refused it. Abigail, though, Abigail had probably drank it just fine. How high had he had them there?

Her good hand went to her throat. Whatever that memory was, it was when he had cut her open. When he had done whatever it was to her throat to make her sound like some sort of animal. Why though? Had she been screaming? Making a lot of noise? From what she could recall, Abigail was the one who never shut up. Then again, she was also being rather quiet about it and listening to what Hannibal wanted. Freddie didn't exactly doubt that she had been difficult with him. She was never one to just follow orders unless she was under extreme duress or threat of death.

She wished she knew why Hannibal had felt the need to cut her throat like that. Had Abigail's been cut too? What had been the point of any of this? In some way it must have been a game to Hannibal. He took them out to the cabin for a reason, and most likely it was supposed to have ended in her own death. It clearly ended in the death of Abigail but why the hell couldn't she remember that part of it? It was extremely frustrating, the position she was in. The fact that she only retained things in small blocks of information. Now she was awake again, the pain medication was regulated so she probably wouldn't be able to get any more for another few hours.

Though she had gotten sleep, or at least passed out, and she knew this because the clock had switched to three hours past what it was before she pressed the button, she didn't feel rested at all. Everything was extremely unnerving and surreal. Hannibal had done something horrible and she had survived it. Even worse, it seemed like no one believed her and she was actually, for once, telling the whole truth. Everything she remembered was her honest memory but it was so bizarre it was hard to believe. Especially coming from someone like her who was known for sensationalizing everything to make money. Hannibal had done this in the exact right way to put doubts into everyone's head about what he was. The man was some sort of evil genius and she was going to suffer from it.

* * *

"You wanted to see me." Will asked as he entered the morgue. That's just where Beverly happened to be. He had taken her the vomit, not that he had even wanted to travel with it, but what it had looked like, had not been normal. There was flesh in it, human flesh, and his curiosity had won over. He had almost stopped to just toss it out three different times but he couldn't. If any part of what Freddie had puked up had been Abigail he wanted to know.

"Yeah, you might want to sit down for this." She said gently and motioned to a folding chair over in the corner. She had been processing some body for a case that he wasn't on when he entered. He nodded and basically stumbled over to the chair she had pointed out. It was later in the day. The forensic team that Leila had insisted on hadn't turned up anything. Freddie was looking more and more responsible for the death of Abigail and Hannibal less and less. Will believed the man had been there at some point but Freddie could have left with Abigail. Kidnapped her. Then again, if she had, why hadn't Hannibal reported it? He wasn't sure what had happened, exactly, but he still couldn't come to believed Hannibal had anything to do with it.

"Did you find out what was in the vomit?" He asked, almost gagging on the word vomit. It wasn't something he had wanted to deal with that up close and personal and he hoped he never had to again. Beverly nodded and came over to him after covering the body back up with the blue sheet and shedding the gloves she was wearing. She got down by him so she was more eye level with him even though he refused to actually look directly at her.

"The blood was mostly Freddie's. I checked with a few of the doctors overseeing her case, they said the throat injury would have caused her to swallow a lot of her own blood." Beverly explained to him gently. Will gave her a slight nod to show that he understood. He guessed that part of it was good news. There had been more than just blood there though, and he opened his mouth to say that. "However, tissue recovered from the regurgitation matches Abigail Hobbs."

Will looked up when she said that, actually looked into her eyes. Freddie had eaten part of Abigail. Why? How? When? The room started to spin and he got to his feet so rapidly he knocked the chair over. Beverly put her hands on his arms trying to steady him. She was saying something, trying to calm him down, he was sure of that, but he wasn't at all listening to her. He was going to be sick himself. The lights were suddenly far too bright in there and he felt hot, very hot. He took off running, her voice calling out behind him. He managed to make it into the bathroom before vomiting himself. There wasn't much in his stomach, just coffee, so most of it was just painful retching. He had no clue why tissue from Abigail Hobbs would be in the stomach of Freddie Lounds but...he needed to talk to Hannibal, and quickly at that.


	4. Fantasy Extermination

  


Hannibal was upset, extremely upset. Though he knew Agent Dawson was not going to get anything in that search he also knew she was now a threat, a risk. The problem was disposing of an FBI agent could be incredibly tricky. He ended up seeing patients that morning but canceling them for the afternoon. The best thing he could do was research Dawson and find out what the best way to ruin her was if he couldn't completely get rid of her. If she were to go missing while he was specifically under investigation, the heat would be on him, that was unless he could frame someone for it.   
  
As he was working on gathering information about her, the door to his office opened. Very few people did that without announcing themselves and he glanced up to see Will, which wasn't exactly surprising to him. The man looked pale, livid, he was shaking slightly as he came to sit down on one of the chairs in the room. His mouth kept opening like he wanted to speak but there was no sound coming out.   
  
"Will?" He asked, turning off his iPad and standing up. He shut the case it was in rather casually and then headed over to him. Obviously he had just found out some rather disturbing information and it had shocked him. This would be beneficial because now he would get everything he needed to know to keep him one step ahead of getting caught.   
  
"Freddie....ate her." Will muttered as Hannibal got down in front of him.   
  
"Who? Abigail?" He asked. He knew that's exactly what Will meant but he couldn't just jump right out and say it. There had to be some level of ' _shock_ ' to all of his own reactions to take suspicion off of him. There were already enough unwanted eyes looking his way and he was aware that he would have to be very careful.   
  
"Yes, Abigail." Will breathed, swallowing rather heavily.   
  
"Did she tell you?" Hannibal asked. That was the only way he could assume that Will ' _knew_ ' the information. He had not been told about the vomit that had been analyzed at the lab. Will shook his head slightly.   
  
"No. She vomited and asked me to get it analyzed. There was good cause to get it looked at, I could tell that whatever had come out was not normal." Will said, keeping his gaze averted from Hannibal. He was left wondering when any of this happened. It had not been mentioned to him, he'd have thought that Will would have told him such a thing had occured.   
  
"Were you there when Ms. Lounds was sick?" He asked. Will nodded his head slightly. Hannibal nodded his head in return. The parts of Abigail that Freddie had consumed, that alone shouldn't have caused vomiting. Something else had triggered it, he needed to know what. "What happened before that moment?"   
  
"She was just upset, had some kind of nightmare and panicked. I guess she swallowed a lot of her own blood due to the injury in her throat. Most of it was her own blood. Doctors had said vomiting like that wasn't abnormal. Blood is an emetic and her stomach would have rejected it anyway." Will explained, but he still wouldn't make eye contact and Hannibal knew he wasn't  telling the entire truth. There was something being left out, but pushing for that information now would not help him find out what it was. He had time, not a lot of it, but he had time. His best bet was to either get rid of Dawson or distract her to prolong this investigation into the rape Freddie claimed he had committed.   
  


* * *

> _"Run?" Abigail asked stupidly, "Why would I run from you?" They were outside, it was midday. Freddie was staring at the girl. With the way Hannibal was gripping her hair and talking to Abigail, she had no idea why the girl wasn't scared. Still being relatively drugged up, and now mute as her ability to speak had been taken from her, Freddie just stood there glaring. Abigail needed to run away but she had such stupid loyalty to Hannibal she couldn't._   
>    
>  _"It will be fun." Hannibal replied. Freddie tried to scream but all that came out was a weak little whimper and she got a strong jerk to the head. Obviously Abigail hadn't been told everything she had. Hannibal intended to hunt them. He had said that whoever was caught first would be served as dinner that night. Freddie realized that it was supposed to be her that was caught, not Abigail. Why he wasn't just killing her outright was not something she knew. It seemed like some sort of test or competition, but she had already been given disadvantages._   
>    
>  _For one, her throat was injured and she had lost quite a bit of blood. Hannibal had also not allowed her to sleep like he had Abigail, nor had he allowed her any food that morning. He had been making sure she would lose this. Maybe it was some sort of weird, cannibal initiation rite. Whatever the case, it was obvious to her that she was not the intended victor of this._   
>    
>  _"Hannibal, you're scaring me." Abigail said. Her eyes were large, glossy, still rather drugged up and shiny. Freddie continued to try to stare her down. These drugs were not allowing either of them to think correctly, least of all Abigail, but Freddie knew there was no way in hell she was going to die like this._   
>    
>  _"Good." He said seriously._   
>    
>  _"You want to...kill one of us?" Abigail asked getting rather upset in the moment. At least she finally understood the magnitude of the situation. Hannibal released her and shoved her down onto the ground where she collapsed into the dirt. Abigail screamed. "WHY?"_   
>    
>  _"I like you far better, Abigail, your chances of survival are much greater." Hannibal said. "Five minutes, then I'm done waiting."_   
>    
>  _"Hannibal you don't have to--" That was all of Abigail that Freddie even heard before she took off running for her life. Fuck that little bitch. If she was going to try to stand there and negotiate with the ripper and also be drugged to holy hell, it was her issue. She knew that out running him was probably not an option. Hiding or finding help was the better one. If all else failed, she would make sure Abigail was the one who lost._   
>    
> 
> 
> * * *

  
  
"Ms. Lounds?" A sweet voice startled her from her sleep. Though it wasn't exactly a bad thing because she was having another nightmare or memory and it hadn't exactly been going well. Freddie turned her head to see Agent Dawson standing in the doorway. She looked over at her computer so she could communicate.   
  
"Did you find anything?" She asked.   
  
"I regret to inform you that we did not." Leila replied and went to sit by her bed, "That doesn't mean we can't pursue this, though. Your word against his is still valid. Also, there were illegal drugs in your system and that helps build a case. Your statement as to what happened as well. It's just going to be much harder without hard evidence." Leila said.   
  
"I _know_ it was him and I _know_ I didn't consent." Freddie insisted, or rather tried to. That damn computer voice was monotone no matter how many exclamation points she used at the end of a sentence.   
  
"I believe you, I absolutely do, but right now there are other things that might be working against us." She said gently.   
  
"Jack Crawford?"   
  
Leila looked away but wouldn't say anything. It didn't matter, Freddie was well aware that was a confirmation to the question. She didn't have to be told 'yes'. Jack was so loyal to him as well as Will, and both of them had connections.   
  
"Do they think I'm the ripper? Or just that I killed Abigail?" She asked.   
  
"No one has mentioned you being the ripper. Just that you are a suspect in her death." Leila replied. She nodded and closed her eyes for a moment. She didn't remember killing Abigail, and before that last memory or dream she hadn't even thought of any sort of motive to kill the girl. However, now, she was realizing it was a much bigger possibility than before. If it was to save her own life, how much trouble would she be in? It was not a question she was yet prepared to ask Leila, and she wasn't ready to tell anyone about what she had just remembered. "I want to help you, it doesn't take a genius to see that something odd is going on here."   
  
"I think Hannibal may be the ripper." She said.   
  
"Why? That's kind of an extreme thing to say. What do you remember? What do you know?" Leila asked.   
  
"Just a feeling, right now." She replied. That flashback had given her a very strong sense of it being the truth. She had to say something. Though she wasn't going to explain why, all she really needed was to place that small seed in someone's mind, someone who had the ability to investigate stuff like that. Legal authority. Though she really didn't realize she had just helped Hannibal more than she had hurt him. 

* * *

Will found himself in Hannibal's house. The man had insisted he come over, Hannibal wanted to keep an eye on him and Will had agreed he'd rather not be alone for a bit. He did trust Hannibal and though a big part of him couldn't deny Freddie was being genuine about what she was saying, a bigger part of him did not want to believe Hannibal was capable of anything she had said. Why would he do that? What would his motives be? It would be too dangerous for a man in his position. He took the tea when Hannibal offered it to him and started to drink it with very little questioning to what it was.   
  
By the time he had finished the cup, he felt far more relaxed. Things seemed happier, more cheerful. There was classical music playing softly and he could smell food being prepared in the kitchen. Thoughts of Freddie had been pretty much removed from his head, the bad thoughts at least, and they had turned to much more wicked and violent fantasies. He couldn't say he wasn't enjoying the images he now saw in his brain.   
  
"Will?" Hannibal said, looking up from the counter where he was carving up meat to be cooked. The man was just standing there with an odd, almost sexually satisfied grin on his face. Hannibal was glad his tea was very effective and had positive results on Will instead of negative ones. It really could have gone either way, that was the dangers of hallucinogens.   
  
"We should kill her." Will said, which seemed like a perfectly reasonable and sane idea in the moment. Hannibal looked perplexed, though he wasn't, not really. He assumed Will was speaking of Freddie Lounds.   
  
"Kill who?" He asked as if this conversation were perfectly normal. Though it might be interesting to hear Will's thoughts on this when he was in such a state. One that wouldn't restrain his honesty.   
  
"Freddie Lounds. If I help you do it, and we both alibi each other, then there is nothing they can do to catch us. We know how to manipulate the system." He said, very sure of himself, before going to sit down again. The room felt like it was on a tilt, but other than that he felt great, euphoric even.   
  
"How would we kill Ms. Lounds?" Hannibal asked and went back to working on dinner now that Will was in a rather safe position and seated in the corner where he could be watched.   
  
"However we want. You think she could really contend with us? Your medical and surgical knowledge, my knowledge of violent crimes. It could be made to look as if someone else did it." He breathed. This talk was arousing him, and had he been sober it would have been cause for concern, right now he didn't care. His hand came down to stroke himself through his pants. They seemed too tight. Hannibal glanced at him and smirked before getting back to work.   
  
"Slowly or quickly?" Hannibal asked, putting the food in the oven.   
  
"Slow, very slow. The bitch should suffer for her crimes." He panted, unaware he was now unzipping his pants. Hannibal washed his hands in the sink and made his way over to Will. He got down in front of him, really just observing at this point. He wasn't going to mentioned what Will was doing, treat it as if it were normal, it would help Will associate death and pleasure when the drug wore off.   
  
"Her crimes?" He asked.   
  
"Lying about you, lying about me, stalling an investigation, being a true rat, a parasite." He growled. His cock was out now and he was stroking it rather quickly, firmly. Hannibal nodded his head in agreement. It was very interesting hearing Will's honest thoughts on the matter. "We would defile her, break her....I imagine that tongue would make for a tasty meal, don't you think?" He let out a strangled cry that was more of a groan than anything. His hand started to get clumsy and Hannibal moved it out of the way to take over for the moment. Will's hips arched up towards his touch and he let out another loud moan.   
  
"You wish to eat her tongue?" Hannibal asked.   
  
"Fuck...yes...and any other part...but not her heart...her cold...black heart." He laughed, it was rather disconnected sounding but it was still a joyous sound.   
  
"Then what? After we cut her up...?" Hannibal coaxed him wanting to know if there was more to this fantasy or not. Will seemed to have this rather planned out and Hannibal wasn't surprised. It was most likely something he had thought of before and in great detail but had taken great care to hide it.   
  
"We fuck..." Will breathed and then grabbed Hannibal, pulling him into a rough kiss. That was rather unexpected but it didn't mean Hannibal refused to return the passion, the hunger, with his own mouth. Will grunted softly then moaned as he came. Hannibal felt the sticky hot liquid land on his skin, and he continued to kiss and stroke Will until the last spasm of pleasure rocked his body. Then he released him and stood up again. Luckily nothing had gotten on his suit. He brought the hand to his mouth, licking at what was left there. His very first taste of Will Graham.   
  
"I could make that happen, if it's what you truly want, William." He said, heading back over to the sink. After he had gotten a sufficient taste he washed his hands again and poured himself a glass of wine.   
  
"Of course it's...what I want. Wouldn't have...said it otherwise." Will muttered but he was curling up in the chair now, his eyes starting to flutter shut. Hannibal smiled. Will would not have any sort of clear memory of this moment but he should wake feeling more relaxed. Far more. A release like that would relieve all sorts of tension, stress, and the best part of it was, he had revealed his true self. Things were starting to stack up in favor of the good doctor once more.

  



	5. Hopping Mad

  


_She was still running through the forest, thinking that her best option was to find a place to hide and to rest, just for a bit, until she'd have enough energy to move on to find help or get to another place to hide. She didn't know how much time had actually passed. If it had been five minutes or three. It didn't matter much, if she was meant to lose this, then she was going to lose this. There would be a way for Hannibal to break the rules or cheat. The odds were not in her favor and she was pretty much screwed unless she could out think him. The drugs in her system were wearing thin, mostly because she refused to drink that tea and for whatever reason Hannibal hadn't dosed her again with a needle. At least it allowed her to think more clearly about the possibilities that lay before her in that moment._

_Not too far ahead she saw a tree with a small opening in the trunk. **Jackpot**. She scrambled for it and shoved herself inside. As she was resting her back against the tree and peeking out, something caught her eye. Something swinging from a higher up branch of the tree. She started to cough but that hurt her throat too much so she just swallowed a few times, moving forward to see what it was better. There was something swinging. Possibly a rope. **Why?** Her curiosity made her leave the tree. Though her body was screaming at her that it was better to stay hidden, to rest, her brain wanted to know what she was looking at. _

_Once she was back out in the open, she realized what it was. A noose, with blood on it. The scream she would have let out was silenced by the injury to her neck. At least it kept her quiet. It was really all she needed to see to know that maybe the tree wasn't the best place to hide. If there was already a noose there that probably meant that's where most people decided to hide. It was too easy, too convenient to just be a scare tactic. That noose was not going to be for her, she was damn sure of that._

_She heard branching cracking in the distance. Too noisy to be someone trying to sneak around. Besides, she didn't think Hannibal would be heard if he didn't want to. That must have been Abigail. She headed towards the sounds, opened her mouth to speak, then shut it once she realized she wouldn't be able to get a sensible word out anyway. Instead she just followed after the noises, and then the humming. Abigail seemed to have forgotten why they hell they were out there in the first place._

_When she caught sight of the colorful scarf around Abigail's neck she went and grabbed her from behind, before she could scream Freddie put a hand over her mouth. It didn't take long for her to calm down, most likely cause she was distracted by a bird, but Freddie turned her around and started to march her back towards that tree._

_"Where are we going Freddie? Huh? Hannibal was going to get us. I don't think he'll find us though. He said he liked me. He probably just wants to hurt you. I'm fine. Right? You think I'm fine? What happened to your throat? Can't you talk? Why is Hannibal so upset about you? Is that a tree?" She rambled aimlessly as they walked. It was overly tempting to punch Abigail in the face but Freddie felt sorry for her, knowing what was going to happen to her eventually. Instead she patted her on the head and motioned into the small alcove._

_"Hide in there? That's a good place to hide? He won't find me right? Hannibal loves me, Freddie, but I'll hide. He wants you. Not me. Not me. I'm good. He loves me." She babbled but got in the tree all the same. Freddie rolled her eyes and sighed. The tree was large, large enough to hide a human, so she stood behind it. If Hannibal was going by scent, he would be trying to smell her out, not Abigail, and she would have to stay close to draw him in. Now all she had to do was wait._

* * *

Will woke up in a bed in Hannibal's house. He had never been in a bed there but he also didn't think this was Hannibal's room. It wasn't big enough to be a master bedroom, not for the size house that the man owned. He felt a lot better, far less stressed, even though he didn't remember when he fell asleep. Normally that would have stressed him out more but he found he really didn't care. Though the drugs had mostly worn off, the euphoria from them hadn't. It was still keeping him sedated. When he stood up, he wasn't aware that anything was really that off. The room wasn't at a tilt, he just felt good. He had no memory of telling Hannibal what he had in the kitchen. He was in a robe, had he redressed? Had Hannibal redressed him? He didn't care about that either. 

"Hannibal?" He called when he reached the bottom step. The scent of food was much stronger now and it was making his mouth water. He smiled, his stomach growled, at least he hadn't missed dinner. His instincts took him into the dining room instead of the kitchen where Hannibal was just setting down a second plate. 

"You're awake." He said. 

"Yeah, when did I even fall asleep?" He asked, putting a hand to the back of his neck and chuckling nervously. 

"Shortly after you got here. I gave you some tea to help you relax and you dozed off before I could come back. Some of it spilled on you, your clothes are being cleaned. Sit." He said and motioned to the chair where he had set the second plate. He nodded obediently and sat down at the table, picking up his fork. 

"What is it tonight?" He asked. 

"Rabbit." Hannibal said. It made Will chuckle gently, mostly because of how Freddie had been talking about rabbits. Some nightmare she had when she lied and said she was dreaming of rabbits. He hadn't believed her but he didn't care enough to try to learn the truth. 

"Freddie is afraid of those." He said and started to eat, completely unaware that the ' _rabbit_ ' he was being fed was Abigail Hobbs. 

* * *

_Freddie peeked around the tree, it felt like it had been hours since Abigail had hidden in there. Oddly enough the girl had gone silent, maybe she was asleep, but luckily she wasn't running her mouth any more. She had continued to talk for a while once she was in there and Freddie didn't need that. What she needed was for Hannibal to think she was the one in the tree and if Abigail was talking that would give away that she wasn't there. Had she not been so terrified and anxious, Freddie probably would have dozed off herself. Yet she knew her life was hanging in the balance._

_She saw a shadow flash between two of the trees, or at least something dark pass by. It was just a split second, then it was over. It was too big to be a small mammal and too small to be something like a deer. It was Hannibal, he was close. As she guessed he had known exactly where to go, it was this tree. He was expecting her to be there. Had he taken the noose down or hidden it better, she wouldn't have known to to leave the tree. It was possible that no one had ever noticed that before. The angle she had been curled up in, and the way she had to rest her head so her neck wouldn't hurt, had caused her to look in the right direction at the right time. It was all luck, really, and the curious part of her wouldn't let her discount it as an anomaly._

_He was approaching, she could hear his heavy breathing. She pushed her back into the tree and held her breath. There was a very quick struggle then a horrendous scream. Then there was a growl, a very angry and primal growl, a thud, and a small snarl. She took off running but only got about three steps away before her hair was grabbed and she was yanked back. The only noise she could make was that weird squeal as she was thrown down by Abigail's dying body. She wasn't dead yet but there was a ton of blood. Her hands rested in it, it was pooling around her knees and soaking into her pants._

_"LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID!" Hannibal roared at her. He still had her hair gripped and he was pushing her head down. Abigail had been cut from stomach to sternum. It was clear that it had fucked up her lungs because her breath was wheezy and it was a rather jagged wound. Freddie gagged but nothing came up, luckily she hadn't eaten that morning. Vomiting would have just made her more weak. "THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE YOU! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?" Freddie tried to shake her head and wrench it away._

_She knew **HOW** it had happened, Abigail was a moron and really drugged up, and now she was dying. A stroke of luck and the fact that she herself wasn't some kind of idiot, and that's how it had happened. It was clear he didn't want an actual answer though, he was just really pissed off that she had outsmarted him and didn't yet know how. Her hand was grabbed and a knife was placed into it. Before she could realize what the hell she was holding, Hannibal's hand clasped around her own. _

_"Finish what you started." He snarled and then slapped the back of her head roughly, very roughly. Her ears started to ring from the impact. When she hesitated, just watching Abigail lie there, he did it a second time. Maybe doing that scared other people, but all it did was piss her off. "Ms. Lounds, this is your punishment, this is your karma. You will finish her."_

_Freddie stared at Abigail, blinking to clear her eyes. She was suffering, the more humane thing to do would be to kill her. She took in a slow, deep breath, apologized in her head, and jammed the knife down into Abigail's throat. She wasn't sure she had a choice, especially if it kept her alive for a few moments longer._

_Her stomach lurched a second time and she fell to her side. Hannibal kicked her in the back and pulled the knife from Abigail's throat. Freddie glanced up at him and saw his tongue run along the metal, getting a taste of the blood._

_"She was **our** kill, she is **our** dinner." He informed her. Freddie trembled violently before her eyes rolled back in her head. Her brain just couldn't process what had happened and it was far better to just black out.  _

* * *

Hannibal knew by the time dinner finished where he had gone wrong with Freddie. He had wrongly assumed that keeping her alive to just traumatize her more before killing her was a good idea. It had given her a chance to do what she had done. It was interesting to him that she hadn't completely broken. That there was some sort of fearless will inside of her, driving her to stay alive. Most people couldn't emotionally withstand being drugged, raped, maimed, hunted, and forced into killing. Not to mention eating the person they killed for a meal. Yet something in Freddie Lounds had kept her survival instinct intact through all of that. 

Will had been talking as he ate the food, Hannibal hadn't exactly been listening. There was no way Will noticed this, the effects of the psilocybin keeping him still a bit detached from reality. The taste of Abigail only reminded him of the events that had happened when he had her for the first time. How Freddie had looked, sitting at the table next to him. Her wide, terror filled eyes, her scarred and bloody neck, her shaky hands, blood streaked face, hair, and clothes. The tears had been flowing freely, down her face, causing streaks in the vicious fluid. She had been in so much shock he didn't think there was a need to restrain her. This dinner had happened the night she had been found and accused of murdering Abigail. 

He set the plate in front of her, and then the one in front of where he would sit. Two glasses of wine were poured and he took his seat. Of course he had been redressed in a suit. Very angry over how things had played out, but with what he had done to Abigail in his haste, there would have been no fixing her. First aid measures then, couldn't have done much, and by the time he could have gotten her to a hospital the damage would have been too great. His intentions were to make Freddie suffer as long as possible before he ended her as well. Things were going fine until that moment at dinner. 

She wasn't eating, he ordered her to take a bite, she shook her head. It wasn't like he had to say what it was for her to know. He had already told her that her kill was going to be their dinner. He had kept her relatively sedated but not asleep while he had carved up the body and made preparations. Her death wasn't going to be as merciful. Not now that he had caused her to take someone from him he believed to be useful to him. He ordered her again and slowly she picked up her knife and fork. Once she began to eat, very silently and slowly, he went back to his own dinner. 

It wasn't the most pleasant dinner company he ever had, but, it was satisfying to know she would soon be next. That he could feed her to Will, Jack, Alana, any of the three and get even more satisfaction out of the kill. To know she was eating the girl she had tried to exploit for her own greedy needs. To watch her choke down the essence of the young woman who had died in her place. That was the true feeling of satisfaction. Once her plate was cleared, she rested her hands on the table. She was still clutching the utensils tightly. Her knuckles a ghostly white. Her eyes staring straight ahead, looking haunted, disturbed, it was almost erotic. 

When he had got up to clear the plates, that's when she had struck. He hadn't predicted that. It was even likely she hadn't predicted what she had done, or was going to do. Something in her, in that moment, snapped. In a stroke of luck, she had managed to lodge the sharp knife into his gut. She hadn't turned to do it, just swung her arm back, obviously hoping to get lucky. Lucky is exactly what she got. Though the blade wasn't that sharp or even that thick, it was long and it went all the way into him. He fell and she got to her feet, looking down at him. The look she gave him was maybe only two seconds long before she took off running. Once again she proved to know when to get the fuck out of a situation, not to just stand there and assess it like most people would.   
  
Of course he had tried to sit up to get her but the pain had pinned him back and for a moment he had believed she actually got his liver. The blade had been serrated, and pulling it out quickly to chase her wasn't the best of options. It would have caused far more harm than good. Assuming she wouldn't get far before he could fix this he let her leave. Luck was once again on her side, though. A passing motorist, a vacationer from down south had seen her on the side of the road, covered in blood and injured. He hadn't caused the wrist injury himself, that had been her own fault, at least it was as far as he could figure. There were a lot of steep drops and things to run into in the dark. Most likely it had been a fall. He didn't care very much, he just found out the extent of her injuries and had gone on his way. 

Will was now asleep at the table, his meal finished and his forehead resting against a fist propped up by his elbow on the table. He was going to have to take care of Freddie, give her what was coming to her. It wasn't going to be easy, as he was sure she was under lock and key, but this time there would be no mistakes. He cleared the table quickly and then lifted Will into his arms, taking him back up to the bedroom where he had been asleep before. He watched him for a moment before there was a knock on his door. After stroking Will's hair back for a few seconds he left the room and shut the door behind him.  

* * *

Leila had been thinking about what Freddie had said. That she was sure Hannibal was the ripper but she wasn't sure why that thought was in her head. Even though she had pressed for more information, Freddie hadn't seemed ready to share with her. Being that she was an FBI agent and half on this actual case, it had been a very simple matter to get the reports from the rest of it. Not that she was really supposed to do that, but she had friends who helped her out. If she managed to bring down the ripper himself, no one would actually give a damn how many rules she broke. 

The evidence of what had been in Freddie's stomach had already been logged when she got the reports. It was curious to her that tissue from the body of Abigail Hobbs would be something Freddie would consume. No one thought Freddie was the ripper, she didn't meet the profile. Things the ripper had done already, the displays, the victims, either they were too old for Freddie to have committed them herself or it would have taken far too much strength. Strength only a man Hannibal's size would have. If the last people she was with were Hannibal and Abigail, and one of those two was dead it made so much sense that he was the ripper. 

After waffling back and fourth on it, Agent Dawson had headed out to go confront Hannibal. Obviously, being the dangerous killer he was, it would take her quite a bit of conversation to start outright accusing him, but soon enough she found herself outside of Hannibal's door. The warrant for the search had only covered specific rooms. There had to be evidence hidden away in there somewhere, she would get what she needed and she would do it by the book. The ripper wasn't going to terrorize this city any longer. Of course, this was only what she thought. The events which took place after he answered the door were not at all what she had been expecting. 

  



	6. Lion's Den

  


"Come on in, Agent Dawson, right?" Hannibal asked her. She was a rather attractive specimen of woman, pity she was going to die tonight. Leila nodded and walked inside of his house never knowing the danger she was stepping into. "Is this on the record or off?" 

"Off, really, so I guess you didn't have to let me in." She said, taking a look around the immaculate home. Immediately she sensed that a man this perfect was hiding something. It wasn't right, his perfection level was off the charts. She was sure to other people it made him just look cleanly, normal. Being a psychiatrist herself she really didn't see it that way. It was beyond what was normal. Either he was severely obsessive compulsive or trying to cover something up. "I'm just curious about a few things." 

"Things you couldn't have found from the report?" He asked, "Can I offer you something to drink?" She paused, looking at him wondering if he thought she was that damn stupid. She shook her head. 

"I won't be here but a moment, and the reports aren't thorough. Your statement didn't answer everything I wanted to know. You said Ms. Lounds and the Hobbs girl just left together. You were unaware of where they went." She said. 

"Correct." He said, turning to look at her. 

"Yeah but, Ms. Lounds is not exactly a trustworthy person. You weren't concerned she took Abigail? The events which Ms. Lounds describes take place over a number of days. You didn't try to call anyone, nor claim Abigail had been abducted." She said, really not trying to come much more into the house than she had to. Suddenly she was very glad she had shown up there with a firearm. His eyes were incredibly cold, calculating, as if he were thinking five steps ahead of her. 

"Both women are legal adults, Abigail has been in treatment for quite some time. I trusted they would be fine." Hannibal said. 

"Ms. Lounds isn't exactly a person who had Abigail's best interests at heart. Mr. Graham expressed that in detail during his interview. Yet you trusted her? Why?" She asked. Hannibal cocked his head to the side just a bit, almost imperceptibly. She only noticed because in that moment she was terrified. He knew what she was about to accuse him of. 

"There was nothing to support she had left with Ms. Lounds." Hannibal said, "Have a seat." 

"Did you serve Ms. Lounds tea?" Leila asked. 

"Yes, Abigail as well." He said, "Just as I would have served you tea had to asked, or coffee. You declined." He pointed out. 

"Considering the stories floating around, I think I am making the right choice." She said taking a small step back towards the door. He was going to kill her, she could almost taste it. The way he was standing, the darkness that had overcome his eyes. 

"What stories might these be, Agent Dawson?" He asked taking a step towards her. 

"You know, about drugging Ms. Lounds. Look, Dr. Lecter, I am not a novice at psychiatry, I know when a woman has been raped. She says it was you. I'm inclined to believe her." She said pressing her back up against the door. Her hand trembled, she was unsure whether to go for her gun or the door handle. Could she outrun him? Or was it better to draw her weapon and then leave? His gaze was almost hypnotic and eerily calm. 

"Do you believe I intend to harm you?" He asked. 

"I don't know what your intentions are." She said honestly, "I wouldn't even hazard a guess." 

"What is it you think you know, Agent Dawson?" He asked, he took another step forward. 

"I'm going to need you to back up." She said, her firm voice slipping and breaking to a far more uncertain one. 

"What did Ms. Lounds say to you?" He asked. 

"That you raped her." Leila replied, she really wasn't stupid enough to tell him the other part. The part where Freddie had said she thought he was the ripper. Maybe it had been her intention before she showed up but no way in hell she would say it now. 

"I don't think that's the complete truth." He said. 

"Doesn't really matter, does it? I'm not obligated to tell you the complete truth." She said. In one quick motion he slammed his hand against the door behind her head. Not expecting that she screamed and side stepped him, quickly pulling her gun. The bad news was this just got her more into the house. "Stop." She whispered. 

"So you do believe I am dangerous. To who? You? Why would I harm you?" He asked. 

"We both know why I'm here don't we?" She asked, her arms getting a bit shaky. He was the ripper, he had to be, every damn part of it made sense especially the way he was acting right now. "What do you want with Freddie?" 

"You aren't going to shoot me. Put the gun away." He said. 

"Don't tell me what the fuck I won't do." She snapped, "Stop where you are or I will shoot." He didn't listen. He came right over to her confidently, stopping right in front of the gun. 

"I moved. Shoot me." He hissed. 

"H-Hannibal..." She whispered. Another quick motion and her wrist was grabbed, snapped, broken. She screamed in horrible pain and the gun fell. Why didn't she see that coming? She wasn't a rookie, he was just....pure evil. He grabbed her and clasped his hand over her mouth to muffle her. 

"Shhh, none of that now." He whispered, holding her close. In her heels she was exactly his height, he was speaking right into her ear. "You were an amazingly beautiful woman you know." She started to cry. Her heeled foot slammed down onto his and he released her. As she lunged forward he kicked his leg out and tripped her. She landed awkwardly, trying to use her already injured wrist to catch her which just fucked it up more. The pain was so intense there was no scream she just curled up and tried to catch her breath. A moment later she vomited. 

"Ruined my carpet." He muttered and grabbed her by her hair. He lifted her until she was standing. "You would have been such a good agent had you known when to stop." He breathed and a moment later her neck was snapped and she was gone. He paused and listened to see if Will had heard any of that. There was no stirring that he could hear, and he couldn't smell Will anywhere close. He lifted her body into her arms and began to carry her towards the basement. At least he'd have something fresh for breakfast tomorrow. 

* * *

Freddie was curled up in bed, well as much as she could with the things she was attached to and how her wrist was. It was morning and Leila hadn't come back. Leila came in every morning to talk to her, tell her something. Why wasn't Leila back? She must have gone to investigate. Hannibal had to have gotten her, she had to do something. 

She reached for the IV in her arm and checked where it was connected. When she had to use the bathroom she usually just grabbed the bags and headed in there herself. It wasn't impossible for her to walk. After taking the bags down she stepped onto the cold tile floor and headed to the door. The guards weren't there. Where were they? Two men, in uniform, usually stationed there. No. This wasn't right, none of it. 

"Ms. Lounds." She heard a voice behind her, it was Hannibal. She winced and immediately pissed herself, which she wished she hadn't but she had honestly never been so scared in her life. She scrambled back into the room before it could become too obvious that she had actually done that and shoved the door shut, locking it. Of course she ended up standing in a puddle of her own urine there, but none of it had really hit the floor outside. She saw his face in the window, he tapped on it and she scrambled back, stumbling and falling. The noises that she started making were inhuman, though she imagined this was his intention. She didn't need to be told Leila was dead, everything she had just seen confirmed it. Hannibal turned away to speak to someone. She just sat on the floor, soaking wet and staring up at the window. Jack's face appeared next. 

"Ms. Lounds you need to open the door." He said firmly. She curled up and shook her head. A hand came to her mouth and she started to bite on her thumb. She heard Hannibal call to the nurses station to get someone to open the door for them. Hannibal stayed there while Jack apparently walked to get them help. Freddie scrambled up onto the bed and used the computer with her eyes to put up a message. She grabbed the screen and turned it towards the window. 

"She's dead." Was all that was really coherent from the way her eyes were scrambling to communicate. 

Hannibal was frozen there for just a moment. No change of expression, nothing. She stared at him, tears streaming down her face, a huge lump in her throat. Then he smiled at her, a smile that chilled her bones. After that all she knew was darkness, her brain shut down in order to handle the fear that the moment was bringing her. 

* * *

 "I assure you, whatever she thinks happened, cannot possibly be the case." Hannibal said as they entered the room to see what had happened. Two nurses rushed to the bed to check Freddie's vitals. She was fine other than a rapid pulse. One of the nurses left to get someone to clean up what they were calling a 'bio-spill' and the other nurse asked the two of them to leave while she got Freddie cleaned. 

"I do have to admit her reaction to you was rather violent, Hannibal." Jack said. Freddie had actually pissed herself in fear, he couldn't believe that reaction was unsubstantiated. No one could really fake a reaction like that, right? 

"The reaction was genuine, however, the drugs which were in her system were incredibly powerful hallucinogens. I was the last man she saw, I do not deny that. It's very possible whoever assaulted her either looked similar to me, or she can't truly remember and to cope her brain just replaced the most recent memory she had with my image." Hannibal explained smoothly. Of course he knew exactly what happened but Jack didn't and was a complete idiot when it came to stuff like this. He wasn't worried he couldn't convince him. "The more time she has had to think about this without proper counseling, the more she had convinced herself that it was me. I believe this is just a case of PTSD. She had clearly been through a tremendous trauma." 

"I could see that. She can't even be sure of what happened, especially with what she must have seen. It's her way of coping." He said, "I can't imagine she lives in a world where everyone isn't out to get her anyway. Not with what she does." 

"Even before these events she had exhibited signs of paranoia, they would only intensify after an experience like this." Hannibal nodded his head slowly. Jack nodded as well, agreeing with Hannibal, just as expected. 

"Is she dangerous?" He asked. 

"I don't believe she is, possibly to herself but only that. I don't believe she killed Abigail though there might be a chance she witnessed the events which would also explain her violent reaction. If you allow me to work with her, I'm sure I could help her cope. Possibly get the correct version of events from her as well." Hannibal suggested casually. 

"Are you sure you want to? You don't think she needs to be in a psych ward?" Jack asked, "She was terrified." 

"A stay here for a few more days is warranted so she can be watched but with my counseling I can prepare her to come back." He said. Jack nodded again. 

"The more important point here is that she gives us the truth. The fate of Abigail Hobbs is uncertain and someone needs to be brought to justice." Jack said, "Work with Ms. Lounds and see what you can do." Hannibal offered a soft smile. 

"It may not be fast results but there will be results." He assured him and then headed to Freddie's room. Everything was working out just fine. No one had even questioned Leila's letter of resignation. Mostly because after checking through the things in her car it seemed that she had one already written, and it had been dated a few months ago. He hadn't even had to forge it. For some reason she had already been thinking about leaving. It didn't seem like anyone cared much either way. He always had his ears open to news that something was off or suspected. Even when Jack had mentioned it off the cuff he had said something about Leila just never liking the position she had been given. Too stressful. No one was surprised that she just kind of, left. 

Hannibal had taken care of the rest. To the best of his ability at least. There would still be more of a mess to clean up, he'd have to cancel her mail, find out where she lived, have things shut down there as well. Most of the stuff could be done online, if not he could just pose as someone else. He had access to every last bit of her personal information now. It would take time but he had nothing but that since she wasn't poking her nose around any longer. Her kidneys had made an amazing breakfast and her heart would make for a great dinner. It certainly had been a nice strong, courageous one. The thought nearly made him chuckle as he entered Freddie's room once more. 

  



	7. Dancing With The Devil

  


When Freddie woke up next, Hannibal was in her room, just sitting there kind of staring at her. At first she started to make those noises again then realized that most likely it was pointless and he was probably just getting sick pleasure from them. Instead she fell silent and just stared at him. At that point she was in soft restraints. Tied completely to the bed. All she had in any sort of reach of her was that computer, and it only worked with her eye movement. According to the way he looked at her she could tell he had made sure that she was the one who looked nuts, guilty, or both and there was really no use struggling. He had most likely told them she was dangerous to everyone else or herself. Some sort of danger, which was why she had been restrained, even the arm in the cast. 

"Ms. Lounds." He said. They were the only two in the room, Jack wasn't there nor was Will. Leila was dead, she remembered that much, that and pissing herself. Someone had cleaned her up while she had fainted or passed out or whatever had happened with that. She glanced over at her computer and quickly got it to type what she was thinking, but when she went to use the speech function it had been turned off. Clever move, not only that but the screen was moved away from the door so no one looking in could immediately read anything she wrote. There was no chance of being heard or understood. She was fucked. 

"You killed Leila." She said, it was not phrased as a question. 

"Agent Dawson knew too much. I figure a little bunny told her things she shouldn't have known." He said. 

"Why am I not dead? Too much of a risk?" 

"She was an FBI agent, and a rather decorated one at that. You think I couldn't make your death look just as accidental?" He asked. She knew he had a point she just really didn't want to admit it. Though he hadn't answered the first question. She wrote it again. "You fascinate me." 

"How?" 

"Ms. Lounds, if you recalled who I am, or at least what you have named me, then you also know somewhat how I operate. You've never been exactly right but close, though most of that you seemed to have gained from listening to conversations you shouldn't. If you know what I am then you know I have had many victims. You are very much unlike any of them. I don't believe your entertainment value has dried up yet." He told her as casually as if he were telling her the time of day. A chill ran through her. She was entertainment to him, a curiosity, an experiment. She guessed that was far better than being an enemy, a risk, a liability. As long as she could stay on the edge of the radar that kept her entertaining to him, she would stay alive and there would be a chance to get away from him. 

"I stabbed you." She wrote. 

"You remembered that?" He asked. 

"Yes. I remember it all. Just told the wrong person apparently." She said and looked down for a moment. "What makes me so entertaining, Hannibal?" 

"One of the strongest wills to live I have ever seen. Something about you lacks the ability to fear in ways you properly should. You tend to resort to anger before fear. You behave the exact opposite of how a normal human should. Something in you is scrambling to survive no matter what the payment or price." He told her. 

"You want to see how far you can push it." She wrote, once again it wasn't a question. 

"Of course I do. That's the entertainment value." He replied. 

"What happens when I break?" 

"I think we both know the answer to that." He said, "You figured out everything else, you can't figure out what will happen when I am not amused by you any longer?" 

"Are you the Chesapeake Ripper?" She asked. 

"Ms. Lounds, that is indeed a silly question." He said, and yet the tone confirmed that she was right but he hadn't actually answered it either. Besides the fact that she was convinced anyone she damn well told at this point had been brainwashed by him into thinking she was some delusional bitch who was just out to get him, out to get Will. That whatever had happened to her had made her unstable. She was going to have to work with him and it made her sick to her stomach. 

"What button to you intend to push first, then?" She asked. He smirked at her and got up, walking to the table in the room. There was a bag sitting there and from it he removed a covered dish of what she could only assume was food. Until he removed the lid, she didn't get the scent of it. Whatever was in there it smelled amazing. She hadn't yet forgotten what he had served her that night he was going to kill her, she was fairly sure she knew what was in that food, or more specifically, who. 

"You're going to eat this, all of it." He said bringing it over to her. It looked like no more than some sort of stew. Regular, nothing suspicious. That was to anyone who didn't know who he was. 

"If I refuse?" She asked, "Maybe I'd rather die." 

"No, you wouldn't." He said, "You refuse then your next push is harder. Ms. Lounds I could end you in this room right now, incredibly easily, in several various ways, none of which would ever be questioned and I could easily explain to anyone who asked. You are on suicide watch, you are a risk, you want to refuse this food knowing that?" The worst part was she knew he was right and she very much didn't want to die. If she had already consumed human meat then it really wasn't _that_ much of a horrible push and she could do it again. It was far less about survival and far more about not letting him win this, not letting him get away with what he had done, who he was. If she died, he would keep going, harming others, even Will. It wasn't right. 

"Can't eat if my hands are tied down." She wrote. 

"I can feed you." He said sitting back down by the bed. She felt tears stinging her eyes as she watched him get a rather small bite of the hot food on a spoon and move it to her mouth. Obediently, she opened her mouth and took it in. As she chewed she glared at him, she tried not to taste it, tried to ignore what she was doing. It was hard to do that, especially with how he was looking at her. After swallowing she immediately gagged but managed not to vomit. "Does it not taste good?" 

"Fuck you." She wrote. There was a sinister chuckle and he brought another spoonful to her lips. It had been cooked to a point where it would be easy to chew but more importantly easy to swallow. Because of her throat, she had been on a soft food diet and he would have already know that. 

"Don't be rude." He told her getting another spoonful to her mouth after she swallowed the last down. 

"I will not let you win this, you know that. Someone will eventually figure you out. You can't keep people thinking I'm crazy forever." She wrote to him as she choked down the third mouthful of what used to be Leila Dawson. 

"I do believe I am doing a fine job so far. You let me worry about the future, as mine stands to be far longer than your own." He said. She absolutely hated the fact that he had so much control. Hated that she was too dominant of a personality to stop fighting. Hated that even if he wasn't on her ass like he was now, it would still take forever for people to believe her because of the name she had built for herself before this. No one was going to take her seriously, ever. She was going to have to get in a position where he was dumb enough to trust her alone to gather evidence. The problem was by the time he did bring her to his home or office, she would probably be so fucked up trained by him she wouldn't be able to find the strength to do this. 

She was going to have to remember Abigail, Leila, and keep in mind his latest prize, and favorite pet. Will Graham. Though she had gone after that man far too much without really knowing what the truth was, now that she realized what was going on and far better than anyone else, it was not in her to let it continue. She wasn't completely numb to what was right and what was wrong, normally she just didn't care and went where the dollar signs were. Will was in for hell if she didn't get him help and even worse, he was the last person who was going to believe her. She was just going to have to remind herself that she was doing it for other people as well and it would be very selfish to give up before she had been pushed to her very last ounce of strength. 

* * *

After feeding her the remains of Leila, Hannibal left home feeling satisfied. More than just satisfied but aroused. He was going to have to find Will, fix this slight problem. Since the first round of tea, Will had seemed far more relaxed around him. Hannibal had gotten more hands on with him, he had not been rejected nor had he gotten a negative reaction. Now it was time to take it to the next step. See if Will would return his advances or not when he was completely sober. It was later in the day and around the correct time for Will's usual appointment. Hannibal was sure he wasn't going to miss it and arrived at his office just about ten minutes before Will usually showed up. 

He was rather casual, went to work on a sketch he had been working on for some time now. It was going to be a surprise for Will when he was sure the man was ready to see something so shocking. When he heard the door to his waiting room open, he put the drawing away and got up to go check on Will but before he could, his office door opened. Will was standing there looking at him. It was an odd look, almost hungry. 

"Do you want to...fuck me?" He asked. Some odd darkness had overtaken Will's eyes. Hannibal couldn't exactly say the man standing there was Will, at least not emotionally. There was something else there, possibly the side that Will tapped into in order to solve crimes. Every killer ever combined into one. A crooked smile crossed Hannibal's face. 

"What exactly gave you that idea?" He asked. Will didn't really wait for an answer, he approached quickly standing right in front of Hannibal dominantly. He sniffed the air around him, almost imperceptibly, much like Hannibal himself would do. Will reached out and grabbed his face roughly, holding it still. 

"You're aroused." He snarled and pulled him into a hungry kiss before shoving him back. The only reason Hannibal decided to let him get away with this was it was rather fascinating. Whatever change had overtaken Will in the time they had spent apart since that morning was interesting to say the least. He would let this play out, it wasn't as if he couldn't get control back should he want to. "Not going to fight it? Deny it?" 

"Is there reason to, if I desire the same thing?" Hannibal asked him carefully. The shove back had been rather violent, powerful even, but as a man who was always on guard for that sort of thing it hadn't moved him very far. Will laughed and pounced on him, slamming him into the floor and putting a hand around his throat. Hannibal stared up at him, not panicking, not really giving much of a reaction at all. Will straddled his lap and started to grind against the firm bulge that had formed. Hannibal was almost positive Will had never received anal and though it was very tempting to just full on fuck him it would be dangerous. For now he'd have to let Will top, but if Will didn't have a sense of power in any of this he wouldn't be easy to manipulate when Hannibal wanted to introduce Freddie. 

"I'm going to fuck you, Hannibal." Will said, it wasn't a request. It was a statement of fact. He released Hannibal and stood up, he seemed a bit confused. As if he was aware something was missing or wrong but he wasn't sure what. Hannibal had prepared for this eventuality. He hadn't been sure when it would come but, he knew it was just a matter of time. Calmly, he got up and removed a bottle of lube from the top drawer of his desk. When Will saw what he was holding, his eyes lit up. He lunged towards Hannibal and slammed him down onto the desk, bending him over face forward and working quickly to get his pants down. 

"Are you sure this is what you want, William?" Hannibal asked. 

"I damn well know what I want, Lecter." Will snarled and a few moments later he was shoving roughly into Hannibal's ass, starting to thrust. the movements were erratic, unpracticed. Hannibal wasn't surprised, chances were he hadn't ever done this before either. It didn't feel bad just kind of awkward. 

"Deep breath, slow down, think..." Hannibal panted. Some primitive side of Will had taken over, kicked in and he wasn't really using his brain to figure this out. It was carnal, but Hannibal enjoyed it very much. The enthusiasm was there but the execution left a lot to be desired. Will pushed in completely and moved to bite into Hannibal's shoulder through the fabric of his shirt. He started to move more slowly then, with more of a steady rhythm. Hannibal let out a low moan and closed his eyes. He felt Will's hand in his hair, yanking at it, twisting it. "That's it..." He breathed. 

"Fuck." Will breathed and started to speed up just a bit. There were a few mistakes but no one was perfect their first time. Will just went right back into it, nothing seemed to quell his eager need to fuck Hannibal. Once he had worked at it for a while, he got into a steady and very pleasurable rhythm for both of them. 

"Don't ignore your partner." Hannibal ordered him when he felt close. Will had been so focused on fucking him he hadn't even tried to touch Hannibal's cock. He moved, gripping it firmly and starting to stroke it. His office was going to be quite a mess when this was over, but Hannibal decided it was completely worth it. Will was behaving exactly how he needed him too. He closed his eyes, recalling Freddie's severe reaction to just his presence. Her disgusted eyes as she ate the food, the look that said she knew she was powerless and he was in control. That and the combination of Will now fucking him, all due to manipulations he had laid out for a long while before this moment drove him over the edge with a loud roar. Will followed close behind, moaning out his passion as well. The two pairs of hips jerked and bucked wildly until both of the men went limp, Will laying on top of him over the desk. 

"Oh God." Will muttered, sounding completely sated. "What exactly was keeping us from doing that for so long?" Hannibal felt the other man's lips on the back of his neck, kissing softly, breathing hotly and raggedly. He smiled a bit. 

"I'm not sure. Do you regret it, Will?" He asked. 

"Not for a moment." He chuckled darkly, "I am fairly sure it will happen again." 

"You would be correct in that assumption." Hannibal replied. Things were going so incredibly perfectly. He didn't see how there was any way to lose this. Freddie Lounds would provide a huge amount of entertainment and for the both of them. It would finally be a victim Hannibal could share with the man he had groomed for so long. 

* * *

"Freddie Lounds?" She heard a rather pleasant but calm voice from behind her. Freddie had somehow managed to curl up facing away from the door, well more like turn away and still some how be restrained. It had been two days, Hannibal had not been back but she knew he was always lurking. She had been kept in restraints the whole time. The only reason she was ever let up was to use the bathroom and to get herself clean, which was also severely monitored. She was guessing Hannibal had her on some sort of suicide watch, which was entirely asinine because the last thing she wanted was to die. It was exactly why she was cooperating with him in the first place. He knew that. The humiliation she was forced into was probably getting him off. She hated it. Her head turned to see a very petite and well dressed blond standing in the door. Her jacket folded over her arms. 

Freddie looked at the computer screen, which still hadn't been turned towards the door. Getting messages out that way was useless and most of the nurses who did see it, discounted it as ramblings of a mad woman. She was absolutely stuck in place. It was demeaning and ridiculous, she would find a way out. Hannibal would not beat her. 

"I'm Bedelia Du Maurier, a colleague of Doctor Lecter's. He needed me to come speak with you to make sure you understood the arrangements that were made. Have you been informed of them?" She asked coming more into the room and gracefully taking a seat by the bed. Not only did she speak in the same manner as Hannibal but she dressed the same way too. Freddie knew this didn't bode well for her, and she hadn't been informed of any arrangements other than the one she now had with Hannibal.

"You mean the arrangement where I do what he says or I die?" She wrote on the screen. 

"Ms. Lounds, if you want to get out of here I suggest you stop making such wild accusations. That is not what I was going to discuss with you but if you want me to leave you only need to tell me." Bedelia replied firmly. Freddie looked her over. She had just mentioned something about getting out of there and that was her next best shot so Freddie decided to change tactics. 

"Leave?" She wrote. 

"Yes. You will be under my guardianship and still his patient. As I am a psychiatrist, or rather formerly in that occupation I am qualified to care for someone in your mental state. You will still be seeing him." Bedelia explained. Freddie nodded slowly. This woman was in on it, fuck. No matter, she was sure she couldn't be watched all the time. She was also sure she could kick this woman's pretty white ass if she had to. It would just take a bit of healing. Hannibal wouldn't be able to protect her at all times. 

"Fine. Get me out of here." She wrote and tugged at her restraints rather violently. "I'm not insane. You know it and he does as well." 

"I cannot claim to know everything Hannibal does, nor am I a mind reader. I just know what he told me, Ms. Lounds." She said, "I am also inclined to believe a man I've known for years over a tabloid journalist." Freddie clenched her jaw and then growled. She froze when she heard that sound. It was the first sound other than the weird rabbit noises that she had been able to make in days, almost a week. Was her throat better? 

"He's the ripper." She was able to whisper. Her voice wouldn't get any louder than that but it was a voice. Though she assumed this was most likely what Hannibal wanted. Her not being able to scream for actual help. He probably just wanted her to scream. Bedelia flashed a rather condescending smile. 

"I will have your things gathered and if you are able to communicate verbally there should be no need for that computer any longer." Bedelia said, "I'll have someone from the FBI come and collect it." 

"Bitch." She whispered. 

"Ms. Lounds if you want my help I hope you realize cooperation is within your best interest at this point." Bedelia told her and stood up. "You will be home with me very shortly and you will behave. I am not going to lie to Hannibal about your obedience or lack there of. We only want to help you." 

"Die." She muttered. If she worked on talking then she was sure she could strengthen her voice again. There must be at least one damn person in this world who would believe her and also freak out appropriately when she said Hannibal was the ripper. It was just going to take time to find them, she couldn't give up until she had. 

  



	8. Hung Rabbit

To say the accommodations were modest was a vast understatement. She was a ' _mental_ ' patient but being treated more like a criminal. If only she had full strength she could seriously kick that woman's ass but she was weak. Her diet had been poor, she was still in a lot of pain, and until she was at full capacity she didn't want to try to take Bedelia out. If she hit her and failed to knock her down or out, then Bedelia would know that was the plan. 

"I'm not sleeping in a cage. I'm not an animal." Freddie whispered. She kept trying to get her voice back but it was not possible. Any sound she made above a whisper was violently painful and almost blinded her. This would have to do for now. At least she could communicate cause otherwise she'd just be making those rabbit sounds. 

"No, you are a risk. There's a bed in there." Bedelia motioned to it. The ' _bed_ ' was more of a dog bed. It looked soft but that really didn't matter. 

"Strip me and give me a collar why don't you." She said wondering why she was even listening to this. Most likely it was because she was too tired and worn down to try to run. They hadn't given her anything back. Her purse, phone, money, keys. She'd be kind of hard pressed to get anywhere and it wouldn't be hard to find her. The best choice was to cooperate with Hannibal, or at least make him think she was. Win his trust and then start to work again. 

"Funny. Get in." Bedelia said. She glared at her but got down and into the cage. It was one meant for a large dog so it had a lot of room. She could lie down fully in it and there was a pillow and blanket. Once she was in, Bedelia locked the cage and started to head out. 

"No TV?" She asked. 

"You're lucky you aren't on the dinner table. Count your blessings, you'll have plenty of time to do as much." Bedelia said, "I'll check on you in a bit." 

"What if I have to piss?" She asked. 

"Hold it." Bedelia snapped and walked out of the room. It was in the basement, no windows, no light and especially now since Bedelia had switched the lights off. The door at the top of the steps shut, she heard two clicks as that was locked as well. Freddie pulled the blanket up over her and closed her eyes. She refused to start crying, as long as she was still alive, still breathing, still aware things were not bad. It was not impossible. She would get out, she would get help, and she would escape. That's all there was too it. All she needed was time. 

* * *

Somewhere along the line she must have fallen asleep. Her body jolted awake when the lights came on suddenly and she heard footsteps on the stairs. Forgetting she was in a cage she sat up rapidly and hit her head on the top bars making a loud 'bang' sound. She would have cried out but it hurt too much so she hissed instead and brought a hand to her forehead. 

When her eyes cleared and adjusted to the light, she realized the person approaching her was Hannibal, not the Bedelia woman, and he was alone. He didn't say anything to her just walked to the cage, opened it with the key, and grabbed her hair. She squealed, amazed that she could still do that, and flailed a bit as he pulled her out and threw her to the center of the room on the concrete floor. 

"Strip." he told her as he walked over to a cabinet in the room. She rubbed the back of her head and looked at him. Now she had a better view of the room and as her eyes scanned it, she realized it was rather empty. The most remarkable thing in the room was the large cabinet and above her there seemed to be a hook which could be raised and lowered by a switch on the wall. They connected. She wasn't sure what it was for. It looked like a meat hook. Her stomach turned a bit when she saw she was kneeling less than six inches from a drain. _Did he slaughter people in here? Did that woman?_  

"I'm not going to just--"

"If you think I'm joking, test me." He said. His voice didn't raise but it was oddly chilling to her and she figured it was probably better she undress herself. If he did it, she knew it was just going to be painful. She pulled off her shirt carefully then her pants, she left her underwear on. It was surprising to her that he had allowed that because there was a wire in her bra but she was pretty sure that would be gone soon as well. When he turned back to look at her he had leather gloves on and was holding a rope that had been fashioned into a noose. Her eyes went wide. "All the way, pet." 

"I'm not your fucking pet." she hissed. He took a few large steps towards her and with no warning he backhanded her across the face knocking her violently to the floor. 

"Excuse me?" He asked. Her lip trembled and she managed to get out of her panties, the bra was an issue cause of her cast. When he saw this would be a problem he grabbed her and did it for her, throwing her onto the hard ground again. Before she really had time to recover the noose was around her neck and tightened. Not enough to choke her but it was a lot like a leash. Snug. Holding the end of it in one hand he moved to the switch and lowered the hook. 

"Hannibal..." she said in a cautious tone. He jerked the noose and she gagged, it pulled her forward. There was no answer as he looped it over the hook and tied it skillfully. He stepped away and she tried to swipe at him but missed as he went back to the switch and started to raise it. "N-No! Oh God please...PLEASE!" She whined at least as well as she could. He was going to hang her, she would choke and he would just stand there and watch. Fuck. She started to struggle wildly, being forced to her feet and then a bit up on the balls of them, he stopped there though. Her head was raised up a bit but she was basically okay as long as she didn't lose her balance. Her eyes followed his movement as he came to stand in front of her. 

"The current arrangement is this." He said, "When you want to die you ask and I will kill you. Those are the rules. Understand?" He asked. 

"Are you nuts? I don't want to die and I would never ask for a mercy kill you piece of shit!" She snapped and spat in his face. He wiped it away with the gloves in disgust and then kicked her legs out from under her. Immediately she started to choke. Her good hand clawing at the rope around her neck before she managed to get back into a position where she could hold herself up. 

"Can't say that answer surprised me but now you know." He told her and backed away. He headed back for the cabinet. She coughed a few times, making sure to keep her eyes on him. The way he had kicked her legs out like that, it had been so quick. Skilled. She really was going to be screwed here. 

"What kind of moron begs for their own death? There's always a way out." She told him. He chuckled softly and turned back to her. He was holding a whip. She let out a low whine, very low. He was aroused. This was just getting worse by the second. 

"Longest victim lasted thirty-six hours. It's possible you could beat him. I have faith in you. He wasn't nearly as stubborn as you are, and I didn't put him through what I put you through before I took him. There's something about you Ms. Lounds." He said slowly, moving behind her and lashing her across the back a second later. She screamed out, her body jerking heavily. The screamed was still the choked little bunny sound. He did it again, and a third time. Her uninjured hand clenched into a fist. By the time he got to the fifth lash she ended up losing control of her bladder again. She began to sob and would have hung her head in shame had it not been for the fact that her neck was pulled up. "Going to have to teach you to stop doing that without permission." He told her. 

"Maybe you should let me piss before you beat me then." She snapped. At least this was a concrete floor and she was near some sort of drain. Less of a reason for him to complain about a mess. He came back around her and grabbed her face. She was dimly aware there were flecks of blood on his skin. Her blood. He must have been hitting her far harder than she had realized. The leather of his gloves felt cool to the touch, she could smell them as well. 

"You'll last far longer than thirty-six hours." He smiled at her happily and then placed his mouth over hers. She squealed a bit thinking he was trying to kiss her. What he actually did was bite into her bottom lip until it was bleeding before pulling back. Blood pooled into her mouth and she spat it at him, getting it on his nice suit. Idiot wore a suit to torture her. It gave her a sick sense of satisfaction to do that to him. He backhanded her again. The way he was doing it would not leave marks. She knew he was doing it that way on purpose. Surely Jack would want to check on her, or at least send Will. Marks couldn't be obvious and they would be on her face. Though he really shouldn't have bit her lip like that. Still it wasn't unfathomable she might have done it to herself in her own ' _psychosis_ '. He just had everything figured out. She spat to clear her mouth a second time. Blood tasted awful and she had tasted enough for one lifetime, especially her own. He stepped behind her again and started to work the whip over her back. He kept going until her legs gave out and she was choking again. 

By that point she was so weak that she couldn't get back up. Holding herself in that position, on the balls of her feet to keep herself breathing was too hard. It wasn't a flat stance it meant balance, poise, and tensing muscles. There was no ability in her to do that any longer. He came back around to watch her struggle. Her vision was blurred but she could make him out, feel his eyes there, watching. There was motion. It was possible he was stroking his cock, but she was far too concerned with trying to get back on her feet before she died to care what the hell he was really doing. Maybe it was far better to ask for death. Was he just going to keep doing this? If this was how it started how much worse would it get? Could it get? He was a damn medical doctor he could fucking kill her and then resuscitate her a moment later. Every thought hit her lightening fast as her vision tunneled. He could let her die right now, most likely he wouldn't. No. He would be the man of his word. Not do it til she asked. She was pretty sure he really was interested in seeing how long she could last through this. The last thing she saw before blacking out was Leila. Her face, her smile. She wasn't ready to completely give up yet and she knew it. 

* * *

 

Hannibal returned upstairs, still in the gloves which were now coated in Freddie's blood. He had to move her back into the cage and she was rather torn up from the lashing he had given her. Bedelia was in the kitchen. Her laptop was open and he knew exactly what she had been watching. There was a camera in the basement, Bedelia had been watching him work. Something that she had always taken much pleasure in. Once she had figured him out it had become some what of a fetish to her. It would have annoyed him but he found the fact that his brutality turned her on so much far too interesting to get rid of her. Besides, she was useful to him in several ways. One which he was about to utilize. 

She looked up, setting down her glass of wine and came towards him. One of her petite hands wrapped around his wrist and pulled the gloves down. She began to lick and suck at the fresh blood on the gloves. Maintaining eye contact the entire time. If she was aware of the pleasured noises she was making, Hannibal didn't know, but they were amazing. 

"You think...he's ready?" She purred between licks, sucks, and kisses. Working her soft mouth and tongue over the gloves to get them clean. "He doesn't seem like...the type." She whispered. 

"I've been preparing him. He's more ready than he thinks he is. I can make sure he handles it just fine." Hannibal said. Will had been prepared over the last few days. Mostly in hypothetical conversations. Hannibal usually had to reassure him they were just fantasies but with the darkness that had clearly overtaken the man, Hannibal knew he was ready. It would be shocking at first, of course, but the shock would be replaced by the pleasure. If Will's first victim was Freddie Lounds, something he deeply wanted, then there was nothing that was going to stop this. 

"You really think she's going to pass...thirty-six hours at this point?" She panted, reaching for the other glove to lick and suck at that one. He watched her work, he knew that she was going to want to be fucked after this. Bedelia was a sadist, much on his level, but she had never asked to be there. Only to watch. A voyeuristic quality to her. It was one of the reasons he kept her around, she didn't want to interrupt. Just observe. As he was a performer and thought much of what he did as art, it was arousing to have her as an audience. Will was not someone he just wanted to watch though. Will was going to be an active participant to this. 

"Her? She's already been through so much. If she wasn't going to last she would have already asked for death. That woman has a very stubborn, fearless quality to her. I'm quite sure that any moment down there that she spends awake, she's thinking of a way out. Her sanity will break before her will to live does." He said. Bedelia nodded and stepped back allowing him to pull his gloves off. 

"If her sanity goes, she won't be entertaining any longer though. That will count, won't it?" She asked starting to open her shirt with rather shaky hands. He helped her undress quickly. Once she was stripped he lifted her onto the counter and spread her legs roughly. His hand caressed her thighs firmly, teasingly, before moving to her cunt to tease that as well. She groaned loudly. What he had done to Freddie had aroused him. He didn't have time to strip himself but she wasn't going to care. He released his cock and pulled her forward until he could thrust into her. She screamed out, burying her face into his neck. Her hands clawed over his back roughly and he growled, biting into the soft flesh of her shoulder. His hips began to move violently. Her walls gripped him, milking his cock. It would be quick for both of them. 

"Ms. Lounds...is an unpredictable woman. Her insanity might be far more entertaining than how she is now. There's no way to tell....I'm a man of...my word...unless she asks for death...she won't get it." He panted as he continued to thrust. 

"Oh fuck Hannibal, you sadistic bastard." She breathed. He gripped her face tightly and pulled her into a hungry kiss. He bit into her bottom lip until he could taste blood. The pain caused her to orgasm almost instantly and he followed right after with the taste of the warm fluid hitting his cum. Both of them jerking wildly until the very end. She fell back and he collapsed on top of her. Kissing and licking at her breasts, nibbling here and there. It was exciting to think the very woman who had been such an issue to him from the start, was now his own little play toy.


	9. Locked And Loaded

Time had passed, quite a bit of it. Freddie wasn't exactly sure how much. It must have been days. Hannibal had been back twice. He had done the same thing each time. Well, basically. He didn't hang her from her neck the next two times. Possibly because he didn't want to injure her neck more. He seemed to enjoy hearing her talk to him now that she was regaining strength. She wasn't sure if it was to analyze her more or if he actually got off on it but the next time her wrists were bound. She was lifted on the hook and he whipped her. Same number of times as the first. Until she was dripping blood and couldn't support her own weight. Only stopping when she was a sobbing mess.

She never asked him to stop. Never begged for mercy. All she did was scream, cry, but never asked him to stop. He always left there completely aroused. Didn't touch her, not in a sexual way. He only put his hands on her to move her from the cage to the hook and back to the cage. Then the blond, Bedelia, would come and clean her up, put her back in the cage. It was a system that worked because after a beating so severe she pissed herself, she had no energy to fight anyone. A woman she could normally rip apart, she couldn't. So she just looked at her helplessly the entire time. Never spoke. There was no point in talking to that woman. Freddie smelled sex on her each time. Hannibal was fucking her and she clearly knew what was going on here. No use negotiating with someone who was also the enemy.

It was hard to keep track of how much time was passing. In a room with no light, no clock, no way to mark anything she was rather disoriented. There were noises in there. Sometimes dripping. Other times she could hear footsteps above her or creaking. The pipes ran, the heater clicked on an off. Never at the same time, it seemed. She wasn't put back in clothes, all she had was her small bed, pillow, and blanket. This time she truly was alone, only seeing Hannibal and Bedelia. Yet something in her kept going. Telling her to fight. If she put up with this long enough, there would be other privileges granted. All she had to do was beat this first part, and move on to the next stage. It was hard, very hard, but she was used to living her life alone. She was used to fighting alone. This was not something that could break her. All it accomlished seemed to be pissing Hannibal off.

* * *

"I was expecting her death at least forty eight hours ago." Bedelia said as Hannibal entered the house on the third day. Hannibal looked at her and shrugged his coat off as she reached to take it, hanging it by the door.   
  
"To be honest, I'm surprised she made it this long as well. Dinner almost ready?" He asked.   
  
"For her or for us?" Bedelia asked with a small smile and headed towards the kitchen. He followed after her. He was very intrigued by Freddie's behavior. Not once had she said any negative command towards him. Usually even if a person didn't want to die they would beg. Plead. Use words like "stop" "no" "don't". None of that had been spoken by her. It was fascinating behavior. He needed to figure this out. How was she tapping into this part of her that no other human he had ever done this to managed to find?   
  
"Us. Will is going to be joining the party shortly. He was held late in a meeting with Jack." Hannibal told her and removed his gloves. Bedelia nodded at him and opened a bottle of wine, pouring out two glasses.   
  
"Are you sure he's prepared for this?" Bedelia asked and held out a glass to him.   
  
"Very sure. I have informed him of who I am. That was a hard thing to get through. Not that I used very specific terms but he didn't seem that surprised. Upset is the word I'd use. Upset that I wasn't forthright. It's been two days, if he plans on saying anything I can't say I see any signs." Hannibal replied.   
  
"Yes, well you always were very good at knowing who to trust and who to cull from the herd." Bedelia laughed and went to check on a pot that was heating on the stove. He smiled at her.   
  
"What do you think of Ms. Lounds? Does she ever speak to you?" He asked, swirling the wine in the glass allowing it to breathe a bit before inhaling and taking a sip.   
  
"She hasn't said a word to me. Not when I've brought her food, not even when I clean her up. I've been rough on purpose. Even painful. She makes sounds, she says nothing." Bedelia said, "It's quite miraculous actually. Usually your victims peg me as the one to get sympathy from. She knows it's useless. I think you found your Rubik's cube."   
  
"Everyone has a breaking point. Just need to figure out hers. She's smarter than I predicted. Stronger. Though a lot of of her escape from me the first time was coincidental, it was putting those pieces together that saved her. No doubt in my mind others have seen what she did and misinterpreted the data. It was coincidence the evidence she gathered, but her intelligence saved her, Bedelia. She's planning something, I'm just not sure what. Especially if she won't speak. She barely says a word to me either. Unless I force it out of her. Very peculiar, that woman." He said and took another sip of wine. Bedelia chuckled and lowered her head, shaking it back and fourth gently.   
  
"She is smart. Very smart. You can see it in her eyes. Don't let her drive you mad before you can do it to her. Wouldn't be wise." Bedelia warned. He arched a brow slightly but nodded. He highly doubted Freddie Lounds could cause his sanity to slip. Well, further than it already had. 

When Will did arrive, the first thing Hannibal noticed was that he had his gun. It was holstered, nothing overly threatening but it was something that drew his attention very quickly. Something that might actually provoke a reaction from the captive woman. He greeted Will with a kiss. Once which the man hungrily returned. Hannibal hadn't wanted to back away from it but they weren't at a place where they could just fuck like animals and get away with it. Not yet at least. Bedelia would much enjoy it. She heard in great detail about their exploits but she would find it offensive to engage in such behavior before dinner.   
  
"Is dinner prepared yet? Or do I have time to show Will the project?" Hannibal called. Bedelia came out from the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel. She had only met Will the day before, and for a brief moment. He didn't know she was very aware of his relationship with Hannibal. Nor was he aware that she knew basically his entire psychological history. He wasn't supposed to know. It was part of the plan to hook him in. Bedelia knowing all the right buttons to push would help Hannibal in the long run. He was aware of this and he trusted Bedelia. One of the only people he knew he could trust.   
  
"Hello William. No, it will be done in about fifteen minutes. The other meal is prepared though. Do you wish to serve it?" Bedelia asked.   
  
"Hi." Will said a bit nervously, "What other meal? Someone else is coming?" His face was flushed from the kiss, he was also aroused. Hannibal had a way of instantly doing that to him whether they were touching or not. It was almost an instinctual reaction at that point.   
  
"We have a pet now, Will." Hannibal said reaching to stroke his thick locks, "Would you like to meet her?"   
  
"Pet?" Will asked, looking up at him with curious, wide eyes. Hannibal was unaware if that look was fear, excitement, hunger, or a combination of all three. "As in human or animal?"   
  
"All humans are animals." Bedelia muttered and headed into the kitchen. This caused Hannibal to chuckle, but he stroked Will's cheek in a calming manner. Taking his head firmly between strong hands.   
  
"Human, Will. You know her well." Hannibal said. Bedelia returned with a dish. Not an ordinary dish. One meant to feed a dog. This was normal for Freddie though. It's how she'd been fed all her meals. In it was just stew. The only difference was the meat in it was human. In the morning she got oatmeal, at night she got the stew. It was all she was ever fed. Even that wasn't wearing down her resolve. They never said it was human meat but Hannibal was sure she had figured that out. Ever since Leila was fed to her, she pretty much knew the taste. She was anything but a moron.   
  
"F-Freddie?" he breathed softly.   
  
"Who else?" Hannibal grinned. Will just stared at him for a moment before nodding. Part of him was excited for this moment. To confront the redheaded bitch after so long. To be able to lay hands on her, harm her. Yet he also knew it was wrong. He wasn't sure he'd be able to handle it. If she begged. Pleaded. How could he ignore that? She wasn't someone he liked but, she was relatively innocent. Yet he was also unaware of all the things Hannibal had already planted in his brain. How the switch would soon be flipped and he'd lose the ability to empathize with a thing he had been manipulated into believing was a parasite and not a human female.   
  
Hannibal let go of him and turned to take the dish from Bedelia. He kissed her on the forehead and grabbed his gloves, heading for the basement. Will followed, his own curiosity tugging at him. He was aware Bedelia and Hannibal were in some kind of relationship. He didn't really care, because he was also aware she somewhat knew about what he did with Hannibal. He didn't see why he should care if all parties involved were okay with it. Besides he was sure Bedelia was far more experienced and could offer things he couldn't yet do. It was more of a relief than anything, that Hannibal had someone to run to for better sexual release. In this way he wouldn't be expected to be good at anything. He had time to learn. He secretly hoped he might one night be involved with a woman as beautiful as Bedelia, but he didn't dare ask to be included. 

* * *

Freddie heard the door open first, and saw the light come on. Fuck. He had come back to give her dinner. It was usually him with the dinner and Bedelia with the breakfast. She was getting really sick and tired of eating humans but refusing the food wouldn't help her keep strength up. First she heard his feet on the steps but then another set. He had brought someone with him. This caused her to sit up very quickly. _Who had he brought? Why?_ Clearly someone else who was in on all of this, or they wouldn't be seeing her in such conditions. Whoever it was, it would probably be useless to beg them for help as well. They'd already be on Hannibal's side.   
  
It was revealed to her a short time later the guest was Will Graham. Shit. Hannibal had his claws in the poor guy? She was going to have to reverse this. Quickly. He couldn't have been completely under Hannibal's thumb for too long. There was going to be a way to break the spell and she would find it. All she needed was Will to say one word to anyone and and it would all be over.   
  
This time, instead of cowering in the back of the cage she crawled for the door, dropping the blanket immediately, not even trying to cover her naked body for modesty. She put her hands up on the wired frame and looked up at Hannibal like a dog. If she was going to shake Will, she was going to have to act completely different. Shock him in some way. Exposed as she was, he could see her marks. The way her back had been bloodied by the whip. All of it. Her obedient, submissive behavior would be in stark contrast to everything else. This would work, it had to. 

* * *

Hannibal was a bit shocked by her immediate reaction. This wasn't usually what she did. She usually curled up in the back of the cage and he had to reach in and grab her. Drag her out and throw her onto the floor. It wasn't that she ever overly resisted. She could fight a lot more than she did. He didn't know if she didn't fight because she was trying to store energy or what, but this was not her usual reaction to him.   
  
"How may I serve you tonight, Master?" She asked. Her voice had basically returned to normal. It cracked and shook at times but it was still weak. His nostrils flared for just a moment. He was sure she saw exactly how he reacted. This wasn't what the plan had been. She didn't looked weak, scared. She looked eager, obedient. This behavior would not sit right with Will. He set the food on top of the cage and glanced back to his new partner in all of this.   
  
Will was recoiling a bit in horror. He hadn't expected this. Not at all. Something in his brain had expected Freddie to be a vicious, snarling cur. Ready to bite. To fight. Snap at anything that moved. She wasn't doing that. What she was doing was being nice, submissive, agreeable. That wasn't at all something that made him want to hurt her. That took away any of the fantasy that Hannibal had. Which had been exactly what Hannibal didn't want.   
  
"William, it's an act." Hannibal said.   
  
"An act you beat into her." Will replied, sounding rather horrified. He had always thought Freddie needed to be punished. Yet he had only ever seen her behave like a horrible bitch. This wasn't that. This was...this was the point where she had learned her lesson.   
  
"Will, I can promise you that she is not usually like this." Hannibal said stepping over to him.   
  
"Of course I am, I only want to do what you ask of me. I am yours forever, Master. Here for your pleasure, and for the pleasure of anyone else you need me to service." Freddie said in an overly chipper voice for someone who had been through what she had been through. Hannibal was in complete disbelief to this. _How the hell had she figured out exactly what to do?_ He had to reverse this. He had to get the real Freddie to come out before Will bailed on this completely.   
  
"Stay there. I will deal with this." Hannibal told him.   
  
"Deal with what? You've completely broken her. She's nothing now. I'd say she's learned her lesson." Will panted, nearly hyperventilating. Taking stock of all of her injuries he was starting to piece together what must have been happening in here. It was hitting him too hard. The rope hanging from the hook, the smells in the air. Blood. Piss. All very faint but they were there. Putting it together, and looking back at Freddie. No one deserved this. He took a few steps back and ended up just sitting on the floor, curling into a ball.   
  
Hannibal turned and glared at Freddie. She looked up at him with a rather smarmy, knowing smile. As much as he wanted to feel glad that she was this damn smart, he wanted to strangle the life out of her, revive her, and do it a second time. He strode over to Will confidently and removed the gun from his holster. The man didn't move to stop him. He was most likely slipping into that world where he imagined what had happened to Freddie in the time she had been down there. He had to put an end to that and quickly. 

* * *

Freddie noticed he had taken the gun. She swallowed hard and tried not to let the fear show on her face. Hannibal would not kill her. He needed her right now. He needed her for some reason. A tool. A toy. A thing to use to teach Will how to be like him. Ending her now would absolutely be of no use to him. She had to keep that in mind. She had to keep up this ruse or she was going to lose Will.   
  
He unlocked the cage and stepped back, aiming the gun right at her. She crawled out and knelt by his feet, keeping her head down, staying obedient. Reverent. He nudged her with his foot, trying to direct her towards her usual spot on the floor. Under the hook with the rope hanging from it. The rope was always left there as a reminder to her, to fuck with her, yet now it was fucking with Will.   
  
"Why the sudden demeanor change, Ms. Lounds?" Hannibal asked her, training the gun between her eyes as she looked up to respond to him.   
  
"I'm not aware of what you mean." She spoke softly, innocently, "Is this not how you wanted me to behave? Why am I being punished?"   
  
"You stupid, worthless, cunt." He snarled and grabbed her by the hair, raising her to her feet. She screamed out, purposefully making it sounded like a fearful scream. Usually it would have just been an annoyed, angry scream, but that would alert Will to the fact that she deserved this.   
  
"Hannibal stop." Will muttered. He was rocking back and fourth a bit, looking absolutely miserable. Hannibal punched Freddie in the stomach, hard. It knocked the air out of her and caused her to gag and retch. She fell back to her knees. Hannibal lowered the hook and quickly grabbed the robe to bind her wrists. She made no move to resist or stop him.   
  
"W-why do this?" She coughed weakly, "Why bring him into this. He's....he's not like you."   
  
"Really? Were you not the one who who called him insane?" Hannibal asked as the hook raised. This time she wasn't pulled up onto the balls of her feet, he was letting her stand normally. it was just her arms that were raised above her head.   
  
"I was mistaken, misguided anger. I'm sure it's too late to ask for forgiveness. I shouldn't have done that sir." She muttered. She had apologized almost exactly like this before, the first time she had met Will. The difference with this speech and that one, was this time she actually meant it and that reflected in her voice.   
  
"Hannibal stop, she's sorry, just stop." Will said and got up quickly. He moved towards Hannibal and Freddie watched as he tried to grab the hand that was holding the gun. Hannibal shoved him back, Will looked hurt. Not hurt like someone who was just being shoved back, hurt like someone who was in a relationship with Hannibal. What kind of sick, twisted, shit was going on here? 

Hannibal noticed the look in her eyes. It was just a very quick flash but there was a change. For what reason he didn't know, it was disgust though. Anger. Something was changing in her and he had to draw it out. He looked at Will who basically looked heartbroken and back to her. That was it. She figured out their relationship was beyond Doctor and patient. It didn't sit well with her. For some reason this enraged her. He had to play on this.   
  
He walked to Will and embraced him, almost lovingly. He heard a growl well up in Freddie's throat. A small one, very soft, but he heard it. She really didn't like this. He wasn't aware of why, she didn't exactly seem to be someone who would be against any type of sexuality. She most likely didn't like it because she found it horrible of him to do. She didn't like the motives he had behind it. He had just found her hot button again.   
  
Will hugged him back, pressing his face into Hannibal's chest. Taking comfort in this for some reason though it also disgusted him. How could Hannibal continue with this if Freddie had learned what she was supposed to. Will wasn't aware yet that Hannibal intended Freddie to be their first victim together. He wasn't aware Freddie had been treated like this at all. Though Hannibal had told him he was "treating" Freddie, he wasn't informed this was the type of treatment. Even though he now knew Hannibal was the ripper, something was still causing him to empathize far too heavily with Freddie.   
  
"Please just...stop." He whispered, "She knows now, let her go." If this had been just a random person, he might not feel anything. This was a woman he knew in some capacity. Knew far more than he had wanted to, but he knew she didn't deserve this. Some part of him knew that and wouldn't let go of that thought.   
  
"Are you seriously fucking him?" Freddie spat out, breaking the silence. Her voice going back to that vicious, venom spewing tone that it normally had. Will's head snapped to attention. "God Hannibal is there any level you won't stoop to in order to manipulate people? What the _HELL_ is wrong with you? Will get the fuck away from him! RUN!" She screamed.   
  
"Are you implying he would force a relationship with me in order to manipulate me?" Will asked her. Hannibal looked down at him. His eyes had taken on that more dark look. The one Hannibal was now used to seeing but had see for the first night when Will had basically attacked and fucked him in his office. The dark part of Will had surfaced. It had been triggered by Freddie's hate. This was what he had needed. 

* * *

"Will you can't be serious! He's a fucking psychopathic cannibal! **HE KILLED LEILA DAWSON**!" She screamed. Will grabbed the gun from Hannibal and yanked it from his hand putting it right to her throat. She let out a small squeal and literally bit down into her tongue to keep from making this worse. She had fucked up. She was on the right track but Hannibal had pushed her. _Shit_. "Will...please...Will...Will you said it yourself, Will...I've learned my lesson."   
  
He back handed her hard, using the hand holding the gun to get more weight behind it. She cried out softly, her head turning violently to the side. She stumbled and would have fallen over had it not been for the rope holding her up. It had felt good to strike her like that, very good. Will could feel his arousal growing.   
  
Freddie noticed this, the arousal of both men, like hungry animals waiting to feast on her. In sexual and actual ways. In that moment she was uncertain to her fate in this. _Would Hannibal allow Will to kill her if he saw fit? Or would he keep his word? Would he only end her if she asked him to do it?_   
  
"Will." Hannibal said after a moment and stepped behind him, kissing at his neck gently. Will started to purr a bit. Freddie wasn't horrified by the fact that Will was fucking a man, it was the fact that the man was Hannibal Lecter. It was only disgusting because of who Will was and who Hannibal was. She hadn't been able to contain her offense to this situation. Her mouth had run away from her again. She watched as Hannibal slid a hand into Will's pants, starting to stroke his cock, whispering something into his ear. Will only moaned loudly, thrusting forward, aching for more contact. Hannibal's other hand came and lowered the gun slowly, taking it away from Will.   
  
"You need to know the rules, my dear William." Hannibal breathed loud enough for him to hear. "She is not to be killed or mortally wounded until she requests it."   
  
"Why? Why allow that bitch to control anything you do to her?" Will growled, "You give her that power, she is ultimately in control."  
  
"No, Will, she's not." Hannibal said.   
  
"Will, don't listen to him. Will, listen to me. You _know_ this isn't fair." Freddie said. Hannibal using Will's name like that was a manipulation tactic. She knew because she used the same tactic all the time. She knew Hannibal's tricks because _she_ was a manipulator too.   
  
"She is not in control, Will. She is not in control because we can do anything we want. There is no way for her to stop any pain other than ask for death. There is only so much the human body and mind can take. Do you not believe we can get her to that point?" Hannibal asked. His hand was still working Will's cock rather furiously under his pants, well, as furiously as it could given the restraining nature of the fabric.   
  
"Will. No. Don't trust that man. He's the ripper." She said, trying to remain calm.   
  
"And we will rip her apart, she only has to say the words. Until then, why not have some fun?" Hannibal murmured sweetly into Will's ear. There was a soft grunt as Will orgasmed. Hannibal made sure to get the cum in his hand, as much as he could, there would obviously be some left behind. He just didn't want to leave a huge mess. He also needed it for what he wanted to do next. Will gasped and looked up at him.   
  
"W-we?" He whispered.   
  
"Yes, there is no limit to how we can torture her. Get her to break. You aren't curious what it takes for this woman to give up? How long?" Hannibal asked.   
  
"WILL!" Freddie screeched. Will was seemingly ignoring her at that point. She had lost her grip. She had screwed the only chance she had out of this. "FUCK YOU! BOTH OF YOU! GOD DAMMIT HANNIBAL!"   
  
He chuckled and raised the cum covered hand to his lips, he rather enjoyed the taste of Will. Before he could get it, though, Will's hand reached up and grabbed his wrist. Stopping him. He looked at Freddie and back to Hannibal. Then his sated, relaxed mouth, twisted into a grin.   
  
"Her. Give it to her." He whispered. Hannibal chuckled softly.   
  
"NO! THAT'S HORRIBLE!" Freddie screamed. Hannibal didn't listen, not that she expected him to. He moved the hand to her mouth. She shut her jaw tight and turned away from it. She was not going to eat cum just because a mentally fucked up Will had suggested it.   
  
"William?" Hannibal asked calmly, "Is the weapon loaded?" he held it up in his other hand.   
  
"Obviously." Will replied, "Why?"   
  
"Show her that it's loaded." Hannibal said. Will shrugged, not sure why he needed to do this but he took the gun and popped the chamber. A noise that instantly caused Freddie to look in his direction. Hannibal suspected that sound might get her attention.   
  
"Bullet in the chamber." He held it up for her to see then shut it. "Safety off." He showed her that too. He rather enjoyed the look of fear in her eyes. Maybe that's why Hannibal had done it. So reality would set in that this was not just an empty threat.   
  
"Good." He said and took the gun back when Will offered it. He pressed it into Freddie's stomach, looking her in the eye. The cum covered hand was still near her mouth, just lowered a bit. Freddie whimpered softly. "Ms. Lounds. I was an ER surgeon, remember that? Now, there are numerous places on your body that I could shoot you with this weapon and you would not die. You would only suffer. Are you ready to die yet?" He asked her, trailing the cold metal barrel down towards her cunt.   
  
"N-No...don't...fuck...oh God don't do that." She whispered, her eyes trying to look down and follow the gun. There was no use in that because he was too close to her to allow her to lower her head enough. "Hannibal...Hannibal stop...stop oh god..." She panted heavily. He was right, he could shoot her a lot of places and fix her right up. She wasn't near ready to die but the thought of that pain......   
  
"Do you want to be shot? I have very few qualms about shooting you." Hannibal breathed and rubbed the length of the gun along her cunt. She squeaked softly and a moment later her bladder released again. Hannibal rolled his eyes and growled, "You really need to learn that is not an appropriate response to things I do. Clean my hand and I will forgive you pissed on the other."   
  
"And my gun, you dirty bitch." Will spat. Her eyes went wide, she looked at Hannibal and then Will before starting to lick at the mess on his hand slowly. Tears spilling down her cheek. In the middle of this, she felt the gun enter her cunt. Slowly start to work in and out. She gasped. It felt....good. Why? Oh God he had fucked her up too much. He had made her enjoy this. Something he had done, was doing, whatever. It felt...GOOD.   
  
She started to sob, as he fucked her with that gun. As she licked the cum from his hand. Small moans escaped her, she kept her eyes shut. All she did was lick at his hand, using taste to guide her to finish up the task she was given. In and out, faster and faster, he fucked her with that thing. The violent phallic object. She was going to cum. She wouldn't be able to stop it. Her hips jerked and she tired to back away. Hannibal's hand moved to pull her close.   
  
"My finger is on the trigger, Ms. Lounds. You love that, don't you?" He whispered in her ear.   
  
"N-No...." She whined and then cried out as she came, her body jerking down towards the gun heavily. She tossed her head back and screamed out. Pain, pleasure, fear, agony. Everything just slamming into her heavily. His actions the past few days hadn't all been for naught. He had gotten the exact reaction he needed.   
  
The new problem was, she was still some how a variable he couldn't predict. He still didn't trust she wouldn't or couldn't do that again. The woman was a thinker, a deep thinker. She was aware of far more than average people. A manipulator. Relatively brilliant even given the extreme situation. Hannibal didn't want to kill her, not any time soon. He wanted to see where he could get with this. If he kept up this exact treatment, it would be more likely for her to ask for death.   
  
He reached up and released her wrists, letting her fall against him. Letting her sob into his chest, not exactly struggling. She was defeated but she still wasn't ready to ask for death. Just because one thing hadn't worked, it didn't mean that another wouldn't either. There was a list of at least a hundred things she could try before begging for death. She still had yet to realize that what she was becoming was not within her best interest, though it was within Hannibal's.


	10. Leveling Up

The next few days were much more of the same treatment. It was basically just Will coming back to be taught how to beat her up but not actually mutilate or kill her. She was slowly starting to lose her mind. If she didn't come up with a plan and quickly, she was going to lose her grasp. The cage was just too much, she had to get out of there. She had to prove that she could be loyal on some level. Trust worthy. Something. Yet whatever that was, however she could prove it, she hadn't figured it out yet.

On the day that would mark the fifth day after Hannibal had first brought Will in, inspiration struck. She sat up in her cage in the morning (as usual) and waited for Bedelia to come down with the food then let her out to take her into the bathroom. Her dominant hand was still in the cast. It had been tempting to just deck Bedelia with that, but if it didn't work then her wrist would be rebroken and they'd know. It would all be for naught. There was going to be a better way out of this, she was just going to have to find out what it was. That's when it came to her. It was going to be more about verbal manipulation than any physical response, at least to begin with. The harder parts would come later.

"Bedelia?" Freddie asked, addressing her voluntarily for the first time in almost two weeks. At least as long as she'd been there. Bedelia glanced at her and opened the cage, stepping back and motioning to the bathroom. Though Freddie was surprised no one like Jack had come to check on her, if Will had been pulled into this surely he was lying for Hannibal and had vouched that he had seen her and she was ' _okay_ '. Jack was a lazy and gullible man. It pissed her off greatly.

"Yes?" Bedelia asked tossing her hair back a bit.

"I want to see Hannibal, I miss him." She said, keeping her voice low and meek. Refusing to make eye contact, her body twitching a bit. The twitches were something she could no longer control. Which didn't surprise her. There must be nerve damage along her spine or back with the way she was beaten, but it helped to make her appear a bit more unstable. Weak. Submissive. She was aware of this.

"You miss...Hannibal." Bedelia stated in a rather deadpan voice, and she didn't phrase it as a question. "Are you certain of this?"

"Y-Yes..." She said and scratched at the back of her neck. In addiction to the whippings and other sorts of gun related torture, there had been forced orgasms as well. Forced orgasms that became natural, wanted responses. Hannibal had brought out her masochistic side and some how managed to get her to hold onto it completely. Though she was aware it was all a manipulation that he had some how managed to pull off, it didn't make the pleasure part of it any less desirable. She still wanted to get away from him.

"Ms. Lounds you petty mind games won't--"

"I want to fuck him." She breathed, "P-please? My body aches for his touch." It was a lie, those words. Her body ached but only from what he had done to her. A shot in the dark was needed right now. Maybe he had been waiting for her to ask for him like this. To say something. To beg for him, show need for him. Start to bend to his will without being told to do it.

"Right." Bedelia said, her voice still monotone, not giving anything away. "Use the bathroom, get cleaned up. You have five minutes as usual." Freddie nodded. Due to the woman's reaction she literally had no idea if Bedelia was actually going to do anything about what she had just said but Freddie had a hunch that by the time she had finished eating, a call to Hannibal would have been made.

"That's right William, take all of it...like I taught you." Hannibal hissed, shoving Will's head down more on his cock. Such enjoyable treatment as the two ate breakfast together that saturday morning. Will gagging obscenely on his cock, him eating his meal like it was really no big deal. Yes, this was exactly the way he preferred relaxing. Possibly later they would go to Bedelia's and up the ante with Freddie Lounds. Get more vicious. Involve her in actual sex this time. He was very unaware of the call he was going to recieve in a few moments.  
  
Will struggled, pushed against Hannibal's legs. Far more noises escaped him besides gagging and choking but Will enjoyed this greatly. He loved to please his Master, even if his Master's reaction was rather indifferent. Hannibal enjoyed it, if he didn't, Will knew he'd be dead very quickly. The mere fact that the ripper was keeping him around and using him for sexual pleasure to this level denoted that he was at least in good hands and a nice source of entertainment. The problem was, if that were true for him the same were also true for Freddie Lounds and he did not like that idea one bit.  
  
Upon reaching his orgasm, Hannibal shoved Will back, pumping his cock a few times to make sure to cum on his face. Mark him with his seed. Of course as usual, Will crawled out from under the table before cleaning himself off. He knew Hannibal liked to see him that way. Watch him use his fingers to scrape the filth from his skin and then lick them clean like an animal. He began his task, another one which he greatly enjoyed, when Hannibal's phone rang.  
  
He rose up to answer it, it's not that he was surprised someone would call him, it was usually just that he expected calls. Bedelia's usual check in time wasn't until much later but it was her name and number that appeared on the phone. That was rather curious, maybe something had happened with her and Freddie.  
  
"Bedelia?" Hannibal asked looking over at Will and motioning for him to continue. Tucking the phone between his ear and shoulder for a moment he got his cock back into his pants and zipped them up. "I do hope everything is alright."  
  
"Kind of odd but no one is hurt or in danger of death." Bedelia replied to him, "She's asking for you now. She told me that she aches for your touch." Hannibal's eyes went wide when he heard such a thing from Bedelia. He figured Freddie would start to beg for death before she ever admitted to wanting him. He didn't even think she could fake it long enough to pull it off. Either she had figured out this was a good way to intrigue him or she had actually snapped. There really would be no way of telling until he got there and saw her for himself.  
  
"I'll be on my way shortly. Are those the exact words that she used to relay these thoughts?" Hannibal asked, moving towards the table to get his coffee. He was now effectively ignoring Will, completely distracted by the idea that he may have reached a new level of mind control with that woman. She was always managing to throw curve balls at him. It was dangerous, yes, but very exciting as well.  
  
"Yes, I really couldn't ever forget the phrasing on that. Stunned me as well." Bedelia replied. "Are you bringing William?"  
  
"Of course, just have to get him cleaned up a bit, I'll need to study Ms. Lounds first though. Don't need a repeat of the first time now do we?" Hannibal asked looking down at Will who was shaking a bit. His own arousal was very apparent even through the loose khaki pants he was wearing. He knew he was not permitted to touch himself without express permission. It was hard for him to learn and he was getting better at it but Hannibal had caught quite a few slip ups. Punishment was quick and painful. It wouldn't be long before Will learned how to behave properly.  
  
"Definitely not. You know I can host him until you are ready. If, that is, you become ready." She said.  
  
"Thank you Bedelia, we'll be there shortly. Keep her in the cage until then." Hannibal said and hung up the phone. He looked at Will and motioned for him to stand up, which he did instantly. "Pants down, bend over the table, don't exactly have time to draw this out but we can't have you behaving like a horny lap dog now, can we?" He asked, approaching Will.  
  
"No sir." Will whispered. Any attention from Hannibal, any pleasure, was always greatly appreciated. He had been taught to realize that pleasure and orgasming were not a right, they were a privilege. The fact that Hannibal even allowed him to cum as often as he did was lucky. Will suspected it might have something to do with tasting his cum but he never dare say that.  
  
Hannibal jammed a finger into Will's mouth roughly, gagging him. He was aware that the point of the action was for him to lube it up with saliva. Hannibal would essentially milk his prostate and get him to cum in a few seconds so he could do some minor grooming to clean him up and go see Freddie. It wasn't something he wanted to do but saying 'no' to a man like Hannibal Lecter was not a luxury he had any longer. It was as scary as it was comfortable. Trusting a man to care for him on such a level.  
  
Will sucked on the finger passionately, even though he was gagging, repeating the movements with his lips and tongue he had just done on Hannibal's cock. Well, before Hannibal had decided to choke him. After about thirty seconds of that, the digit was removed and shoved into his ass. Hannibal picked up his phone again and started to check his email. Will groaned loudly. That was such an amazingly arousing thing for him. To be treated like this. Like a horny, unruly dog that absolutely had to be milked of his seed so he'd behave. He shouldn't exactly want a man he was so devoted to, to feel this way about him but fuck he loved it.  
  
Hannibal's expert, surgeon finger explored his inner walls until he came to the prostate. With no hesitation (and sometimes there was, Hannibal loved to tease) he started to massage it firmly. Still basically ignoring Will in favor of his phone. Will whined and moaned, thrashing against the table due to the intense pleasure of the moment. When he felt ready to cum, he cupped his hand around his cock to catch all of it. This was a time where Hannibal would not demand he ask permission. This was meant to just make it all be over with, calm him. They had discussed when it was needed to ask permission or not.  
  
He came hard, pushing back towards Hannibal's finger, getting it all in his palm. His legs went weak but before he could fall Hannibal set the phone down and grabbed the back of his shirt with his clean hand, yanking him to his feet.  
  
"Clean up your mess William. We have business to attend to." Hannibal said with a smirk. Will let out a low whimper but started to lick his hand clean as Hannibal moved to the sink. He really wasn't sure how much he appreciated Freddie and how very much of Hannibal's time she appeared to be taking up. It didn't really matter to him how much Hannibal referred to her as torture meat, Will wasn't buying he didn't like her in some way. Hannibal needed to start referring to her as ' _dinner_ '.

When Hannibal arrived he basically ignored Bedelia in favor of going to study Freddie. It wasn't something she was unaccustomed to. Usually when he had a project like this he was dismissive of anything else around him. This was the first time someone had lasted so long without even hinting they wanted to die. He had to find out why. He had to see her mind working. She was defying logic, at least his logic. That woman had been through far too much already and yet some how she was still clinging to sanity. It was illogical, maddening, and yet so very arousing.  
  
He headed down into the basement, and saw her sit up in the cage when he flicked the lights on. She didn't move to the door of it like she actually wanted him, she just sat up. It didn't mean Bedelia was lying or that she hadn't said what she had, but she wasn't acting like she even wanted him there. He went to the cage and unlocked it before pulling on the leather gloves. Swinging the door open he motioned for her to come out. She didn't hesitate and crawled there. This time he hadn't had to grab her hair. _What had changed_? He doubted this was honest behavior on her part. Highly doubted it.  
  
"You requested me." He said, it wasn't a question.  
  
"Yes." She said keeping her head down.  
  
"Why?" He demanded.  
  
"I need you. I...I need you to fuck me." She said, her voice soft, ashamed. She was refusing to look up at him. It could very well be the truth as she looked like she was disgusted with the very idea but it was just something she couldn't help. He grabbed her hair, yanking her to her feet, and then slammed her into the wall, pressing against him.  
  
"Ms. Lounds, if this is another game--"  
  
"No game...no game...I just need you." She whispered, finally daring to look up at him. Her eyes shone with a mixture of disgust, humiliation, and yes, arousal. She wouldn't be able to fake that. Not easily. He grabbed her by the back of her neck and threw her down onto the floor. She cried out, only able to catch herself from falling completely flat by one hand.  
  
"Stop lying." He demanded and then kicked her in her side roughly. She squealed and curled up tightly trying to protect herself.  
  
"I'm not." She coughed trying to get her breath back.  
  
"The hell you aren't." He spat, "You really want this? Bad enough that you dare request me?" He circled her, much like a wolf getting ready to pounce. Looking at her with hunger. She hadn't asked to die, she had asked for sex. All of this was just not probable. Possible, anything was possible, but Freddie Lounds wanting him for sex? No.  
  
"I-I am...telling you the truth....please..." She whispered, "Anything."  
  
"Anything?" He asked.  
  
"Y-Yes...I'm yours...I know that now. I will do anything you ask I just...I just need your touch." She whined pathetically, weakly. One of the more telling signs was she was doing it without Will being there. She had no audience, she had no one to gain sympathy from. It had to be genuine, at least mostly. He still knew it was some sort of ruse, if it wasn't...he'd be surprised. However, maybe, just maybe this could be a sign to take it to another level of domination.  
  
He walked to the cabinet where the toys and other items for play were kept. He started to rifle through them, looking for the things he wanted to grab to implement new rules on her. Yes, this new level of humiliation and pain would surely break her will. No one could beat him, no one had ever beat him. He just had to make it far worse than he already was.

* * *

Freddie watched him from the floor, not daring to move. He was buying it. Probably because half of it was actually too. She believed what she was saying more than she should, but she knew that it was only to gain higher trust. There was still that part of her that knew this was wrong and knew she had to get out. The more masochistic part of her was enjoying it. She hated to even admit to herself that she did like it, and she was sure it was only because he had conditioned her. It didn't really matter, as long as she clung to that idea that she needed to get help the moment it was possible, she was okay. If she lost the will to leave, if she started to 100% enjoy this, then she knew she'd be in trouble.  
  
It was a dangerous game she played. Mostly because if she did fully start to enjoy this, she would become his. He would own her. It would come to a point where she wouldn't ever ask for death because she would be very complacent. Even pleasured by the abuse. The fire in her still lingered but it was flickering like a candle in the wind. She could not let the candle go out. Ever. Then it would be too late.  
  
He came back over to her, holding a few things in his hands. Not all of which she could identify with how he was holding them. He got down by her, grabbing the back of her neck and forcing her up onto all fours before jamming something into her ass. She screamed out and twisted. He slammed a fist down into her back, causing her to fall flat again.  
  
"This is what you requested." He said. She whined and wiggled her ass a bit. Some sort of plug had just been shoved in there, one with a tail. A very fuzzy and soft tail. She wasn't even sure he used lube, then again why would he? Like he actually gave a damn. He was trying to get her to request death. Pain like that reminded her exactly how evil he was. Knocked sense back into her. The fire grew a bit stronger.  
  
Shifting, he got in front of her and roughly attached a leather harness to her face. It strapped over her nose and cheeks, attaching behind her head. There was a collar as well. He shoved her over until she was on her side, then moved her onto her back. She didn't struggle, scream, or move, she just took it. If she wanted to get to the next part she had to get through this one first.  
  
"You are now my pet." He told her and walked back to the cabinet, "Worth no more to me than a dog. A common bitch. Understood?"  
  
"Yes sir." She whispered, staring up at the ceiling. He was transforming her, molding her, actually making her into the dog he saw her as. Well, at least it was far better than a rat. She seemed to be moving up the food chain. He came back and grabbed the hand that wasn't in the cast. A moment later a glove was slipped onto it and locked into place. She glanced down at it. That glove would render her hand useless. It looked like a paw. A dog paw. Her other hand was basically useless for now anyway. Trapped in the cast. She assumed the second glove would go on that once it was healed. If she survived that long.  
  
On her feet went boots. Boots that arched her feet unnaturally, making them look like dog paws. There was no heel to balance on, she'd only be on the balls of her feet. _Was he serious? She'd break her neck!_ He locked them in place as well. Until she properly learned to move on those she wouldn't be running. _Well played_. He stood and kicked her side gently, obviously wanting her to roll over.  
  
"You will obey every command. You will exist for my pleasure. I will hurt you, torture you, beat you, fuck you. There is no time for you to say no. There is no hesitation. If you even attempt to disobey me the punishment will make you wish you had died." He hissed at her. "All fours." He snapped his fingers and she got up on all fours like he commanded.  
  
"Yes sir." She whispered.  
  
"Good. You will learn to get pleasure from my pleasure. You will not touch yourself without express permission. You will not cum without permission. God help you if you keep having accidents in my house. Understood?" He slapped her ass roughly and she cried out. _He was taking her to his house_? Fuck that was better than she could have hoped for. Pissing herself had become an issue. He had weakened her resolve, she also feared him greatly. She would have to find the ability in her to stop that. Though she was guessing it was exactly what he would want. It would give him an excuse to hurt her. It probably wasn't a coincidence that her bladder control had become an issue. He really did have all of this planned out.  
  
A moment later he had slammed his cock into her cunt from behind. She groaned loudly. Until that moment she really hadn't realized how much this had been arousing her. He grabbed the back of the head harness and yanked it back, choking off yet another cry. It almost felt like her neck was going to snap as he began to thrust brutally.  
  
"This is how it is now, Ms. Lounds. You cannot come back here. It's this until death. It only gets worse. Welcome to your worst nightmare." He snarled and kept pounding her. She couldn't make any sounds at all with how her head was now positioned but she could see him. He was looming over her, thrusting like a man possessed, glaring back down into her eyes. A bit of drool seeped down the corner of her mouth. "You will treat William...with all the respect you treat me. Do not test me Ms. Lounds. Do not challenge or so help me God." He rasped and then spat on her face. She twitched, trying to get away from him but it was pointless. It was disgusting, horrifying, and far too arousing.  
  
He kept it up like that, painful, thrusting, brutal motions of his hips until he came. His roar triumphant like he had just conquered her. Like she had become an item in his possession. _A pet. A fuck toy. A punching bag_. As he released her head, she screamed and orgasmed as well, thrusting back towards him wildly. He slapped her ass twice more, painfully hard and stood. Grabbing her hair, he pulled her to her knees and turned her. Her face was shoved to his cock and though she really didn't want to, she started to lick it clean without him saying a thing. She wasn't a stranger to seeing porn with this scenario and it might throw him off just a bit, her instant obedience.  
  
When he apparently decided she had done that well enough he pushed her back and went to grab a leash from the cabinet. It was quickly clipped to her collar and he yanked on it.  
  
"Uh...sir I can't..."  
  
"Crawl then. You will eventually learn to walk correctly. It's not a priority right now." He snapped. Once he was adjusted, his suit looked perfect and he wasn't exposed he headed up the stairs in normal strides. Choking her as she tried to keep up with him. It really didn't matter though. She had managed to level up. It would only be a matter of time before she got out. Freedom was almost palpable.


	11. House Training

"I'm not trying to question your judgement at all sir, but is it really necessary that we bring her back here?" Will asked Hannibal in private once Freddie was hooked to the bed in the master suite. They had stepped into the hall and Will had held off protesting this for the entire car ride. Freddie had been sedated (a precautionary measure) and was still pretty out of it. Will was feeling a huge stab of jealousy. H _ow dare Hannibal try to bring in another pet? Was he not good enough?_

"Yes, William. Easier access. She is a toy for both of us, not just me." Hannibal said stopping to stroke his cheek before heading down the hallway. "I need to prepare dinner." Will stood there stupidly for a moment before following after him.

"Both of us? So I can do anything to her? With her?" He asked. There was not anything in his mind that told him this was true. There must be a restriction, a catch. He wouldn't just be allowed unrestricted access to do whatever he wished with a dehumanized version of that bitch in the bedroom.

"You are not permitted to kill or mutilate her, no, anything else is fine." Hannibal replied casually, "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were jealous." He glanced up at Will and smiled slightly before starting preparations for dinner. Will let out a puff of air through his nose. He didn't like Hannibal knew his emotions that well. For a man who by all counts had no emotions, he shouldn't be able to read them in others like that.

"So if I were to go back up there right now and fuck her, you wouldn't mind?" Will asked.

"Not particularly, I just know you aren't going to." Hannibal said moving around the kitchen to get things organized. "You are disgusted by her."

"Yes, but don't tell me what I won't do. To degrade her to that level, to use her for nothing more than sexual pleasure, a punching bag, that part of it is appealing. She's the one who killed Abigail after all. You are allowing her to get away with it. You are playing games with her." Will said. He had not been informed of the whole trip to the cabin thing. He was still under the impression that whole part of it had been fabricated by Freddie. Hannibal's careful manipulations has some how kept a hold on Will's brain. Convincing him that Freddie was just a liar. It really all hinged on the trust and love Will had for him. The fact that Will would rather believe Hannibal couldn't kill Abigail, that though he was the ripper, and was a criminal he wouldn't do that.

He was a curious, emotional creature. A little over reassurance had convinced Will he had nothing to do with the death of that girl. Though he hadn't exactly wanted her to be the one to go, he was now actually kind of glad that she had. Abigail wouldn't have been nearly as pliable as Freddie. Not this entertaining. No. Abigail would have been far too easy to mold. She had been broken before him. Someone had already set her behavior, all he'd have had to do was tweak it. It wasn't exactly a prospect he enjoyed. Minor twinges, working with a baseline someone else already tried to perfect. The only reason it had appealed to him before her death, was it would have been the safer thing.

Hannibal had felt he was in a very precarious position and Abigail would have been the better ally. As it turned out, even with the struggle, even with the danger, even with as close as he had come to getting caught, this was a far more fun situation. Freddie Lounds was proving to be a wild card to the likes of which he had never seen. The other night, for just a split second, he had felt trepidation that she may ask to be killed. Something in him didn't want her to ask. He would keep his promise, and if she asked, he would do it. The problem was now he really didn't want to, or at least he was hoping she wouldn't ask any time soon. There was still far too much work to do with that woman.

It was morning when Freddie finally started to feel half coherent again. At some point she had been moved onto the bed and now she was curled up at the foot of it. There was a very small blanket over her. Will and Hannibal were sleeping in the bed. Hannibal holding Will possessively like he owned him. Freddie was sure in many ways he did. She really had to pee though, so she started to push at Hannibal's foot with her ' _paw_ '. He kicked back at her, wanting her to stop.   
  
"I have to pee, do you want me to go on the bed because I will." She said in a warning tone. It was unwise to talk to him like that and she was well aware of it but she figured he'd probably at least like a warning. After a moment he got up and out of bed. Completely naked. Her eyes followed his body as it headed for the bathroom. Very nice. Toned. That ass, fuck. She actually felt herself flush with arousal. He was so, vulnerable like that but some how still so powerful and dominant. She never imagined she'd see him without one of his suits but if she was going to live there now, she should get used to it.   
  
He was in the bathroom for a moment, she heard water running then shut off. After a few minutes he came out again in one of the fanciest damn robes she had ever seen in her life. It was almost like he was still wearing a suit. His hair was slicked back and he looked far more awake. Still not speaking he came to the bed and grabbed the leash which was locked to her collar and tied to the bed. Giving it a tug he started to walk and she scrambled to crawl behind him.   
  
"Okay where are we--" He jerked the leash violently, cutting her off. She yelped and knelt back looking up at him with startled eyes.   
  
"Rules: If you **MUST** address me, I am to be called Master. Try not to speak unless it's to ask permission for something essential. Bathroom needs. Food Needs. Other personal requests. I do not wish to hear your voice Ms. Lounds. Dogs do not speak." Hannibal said firmly. "If you have a question you best phrase it in the politest way you can think of. I may not answer. I don't owe you anything. Understood?"   
  
"Yes….Master." She said softly. He nodded and started to walk again, she began to crawl not wanting to be choked if the leash got too tight. He led her downstairs and opened the back door which led out into an enclosed yard. It suddenly hit her where she was supposed to pee. "Master you can't be serious."   
  
"Do I look like I am trying to make a joke, Ms. Lounds? You are my new dog are you not?" He looked down at her. She felt her upper lip twitched wanting to actually snarl at him. This was beyond degrading but she had to figure that he most likely was only doing this to try to break her resolve faster. It was just peeing outside not really that bad. It wasn't painful or torturous just really, really humiliating.   
  
She crawled out into the grass and shivered, it was cold, the grass was wet with dew. He was just staring at her. _Fuck_. She closed her eyes and took in a few deep breaths before she was able to actually start. Even with her eyes closed she could feel his gaze on her.   
  
"Good girl." He praised in a rather sardonic tone of voice. She winced, wanting to just curl up and vanish. When she was finished she moved more towards him and he led her back inside. "At least it wasn't an accident that time."   
  
"Fuck you….Master." She snarled once they were back inside. He swiftly kicked her in the side. His feet were in slippers but that didn't mean it hurt any less. She cried out and curled up on the tile floor. He removed the leash and used it to bind her hands behind her back by the wrists.   
  
She knew she was going to have a bruise there, and as she tried to catch her breath she watched him walk out of the room. It didn't matter though, she could take this. Maybe Will was beyond help now but she wasn't and she would get out.   
  
When Hannibal came back a few minutes later he had some more rope and he was holding something in his hand, a gag. It was an 'O' ring gag, she'd seen it before. It was something that could be used to slip a dildo into. Great. Well at least he didn't have one with him. At least not that she saw. She figured she'd end up having one in there anyway. He'd want to make sure his new pet was good at cock sucking.   
  
He grabbed her by the harness strapped to her head and moved her until she was kneeling. Once again, no words were spoken, he just tied her ankles together and then bound those to her wrists keeping her in a permanent kneeling position with her chest arched out, like she was presenting her tits to the world. He held the gag up so she could see it. It was temping to say something horrible to him but instead she opened her mouth and let him manhandle her until the gag was in. After that he patted her on the head gently. 

* * *

Will became aware of the smell of food about thirty minutes after Hannibal had taken Freddie downstairs to 'let her out'. He pulled on his boxers and a t-shirt before lazily shuffling down the stairs half awake. After the way Hannibal had fucked him last night, he was barely coherent but very hungry. He still wasn't very happy about Freddie being the newest little addiction to the house but he found he really didn't have any say in it. He also found Hannibal was right and he didn't have it in him to actually harm her by himself. It would have to be something Hannibal coaxed him into.   
  
When he entered the kitchen, he saw Freddie on the floor bound and gagged. She was also twitching rather oddly. He noticed that something was in her cunt. A vibrator, it was on. Just a low setting preventing her from actually orgasming. He smirked, well at least she was suffering.   
  
"Good morning William." Hannibal said like Freddie Lounds wasn't bound, gagged, and being torture near by. "Breakfast is almost finished. Have a seat."   
  
"What did she do to deserve that?" Will asked with a slight chuckle and sat down at the table. Hannibal poured him some coffee and came over, setting it down in front of him.   
  
"It keeps her quiet." Hannibal replied. "That's all the reason I need. It's important for her to learn her place."   
  
"What's she been gagged with?" Will asked. He picked up his coffee and stood, approaching Freddie to get down by her. Though her eyes were open they were kind of glossy, unseeing. She must have been in some kind of hell. It made Will incredibly happy. He grabbed her face and inspected for himself. "A dildo? Didn't think you would be the type?"   
  
"What type is that?" Hannibal asked as he went back to preparing breakfast.   
  
"Seems kind of… _cliche_." He snickered, "Whatever, it seems like she can't even make a sound like this."   
  
"She can't. Observe the way her head is tilted back. It's positioned in her throat. She can't move or she'll choke. I have my reasons for this." Hannibal said and then plated the food. He grabbed both plates and walked them over to the table. "Sit Will, breakfast is served."  
  
"You like that cock in your throat don't you, fucking bitch." Will growled looking down at her. For a moment her eyes came into focus, he could tell, but they slipped back out again quickly. Hannibal sighed.   
  
"Please refrain from using that language William. It's rather unbecoming for a man of your position." Hannibal said, "Sit or you will not like the punishment either." Feeling rather shamed, Will came over to the table and sat down. He was glad that it seemed that Freddie was at least not getting preferential treatment over him but he still really didn't like the fact that she was there. He'd have to find the strength in him to ruin her himself if Hannibal refused to do it.


	12. Unwilling Comeuppance

Hannibal left Freddie in that position for almost two hours. When he finally did release her she was basically delirious with arousal. He was amazed she did the opposite of go insane. She went into subspace. She was submitting to him instead of losing her mind. It was interesting only in the way that most humans would resist this. She logically knew that all she was in for was pain and suffering and yet she was forcing herself to enjoy it rather than die. Very peculiar indeed. It was absolutely fascinating to him.

Once she was released she hugged his legs. She was shaking terribly, almost convulsing. Her neck and chest were wet with the saliva that had seeped from her mouth after being gagged like that for so long. She nuzzled her forehead against his crotch gently, her jaw flexing. He looked down at her rather surprised.

"What the hell is she doing?" Will asked. Much like Hannibal he had expected a lot of screaming and cursing once she was released, yet this is what they got instead. How did it make any sense?

"She's in subspace." Hannibal said, "You've been there, you should be able to recognize it by now."

"Yes but why?" Will asked.

"It seems Ms. Lounds has decided to force herself to enjoy the harsh treatment rather than beg for death." Hannibal mused aloud. It was the only thing that made sense to him. He wasn't sure if there was any part of original Freddie left in that brain of hers but this, what he had done, what he had created. It was amazing. He got down to look her in the eye, holding her head harness firmly. "Look at me, Freddie."

"Freddie?" Will asked, sounding disgusted. Hannibal shushed him and stroked Freddie's cheek firmly with his thumb. Freddie's eyes darted back and fourth for a moment before finally settling on his. She winced, tried to pull back as if she expected to be struck. He wasn't surprised by that at least. He was relatively used to hitting her if she tried to make eye contact with him.

"Shhh, I told you to look at me, you won't be punished." He told her. She let out a low whimper and clearly struggled to keep eye contact but still did as she was told. "Do you wish to climax?"

"Y-yes sir….please sir." She whispered bouncing a little bit as she answered him. He chuckled softly and ran a hand down between her legs. She screamed out, he knew she'd have to be overly sensitive. Two hours in that state, constant vibrations. She was wet, slick, there was a puddle of moisture under her.

"Do you want me to fuck you?" He grinned. Her eyes got even wider, which he didn't think was possible. He had always liked her eyes, so big and expressive. It was so easy to read them, fear, dominance, anger, lust. Right now she was afraid. He knew why.

"P-Please don't…please…hurt….too much." She babbled.

"Yes well I don't care about your comfort." He told her and yanked her up by the harness. She screamed out and he basically threw her over the counter. Will chuckled darkly. At least it wouldn't be all that fun for the bitch.

"No…no no…painful…too much…" She whined and started to get up when he shoved her back down, pinning her in place. "PLEASE SIR!" she screamed. Her voice reaching a high pitch he didn't think she could possibly reach until that moment. He ignored her and unzipped his pants, slamming into her seconds later. The reaction was violent. Not only did she orgasm almost instantly she ended up pissing as well. Screaming in agony, pain, pleasure. Her body started to convulse. Violent shudders rocking her, even pulsating through him. Her walls clenching around his cock and releasing. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. Or even seen. He couldn't imagine she had ever been in more ecstasy with a reaction like that.

"Holy shit…" Will breathed. He'd never seen anything like that. Not that he had a huge amount of experience with things like this but that was hot. Very hot. Freddie started to sob, babbling incoherently, though she could barely be heard over the moaning that was coming from Hannibal as he started to fuck into her mercilessly. She clawed wildly at the counter, shrieking, orgasming repeatedly. Unable to stop it. The pleasure was just as intense as the pain. Her hand flailed back trying to knock him away, as her hips thrust towards him only wanting more.

Hannibal was in some sort of animal frenzy. Her reaction to this was positively delicious. Her body and brain were at odds with each other. It was an evil split. She wanted it to stop exactly as much as she didn't. It was driving her insane and he was watching her come undone with the madness this was creating in her mind. He was aware she was trying to say something but it wasn't making sense. The tone was pleading but there was no way to tell if it was pleading to stop or for more. He wasn't going to stop, regardless, so he just kept slamming into her. Evoking louder and louder pained sounds from her throat as she suffered the pleasure of this.

His climax quickly approaching he moved and bit into her shoulder, drawing blood and ripping his head back, much like a dog trying to tear meat off of a bone. Her scream was intense, hurt his ears, blurred his vision and as he swallowed down the chunk of flesh he removed from her shoulder with his teeth he came, hard. Growling then roaring out his pleasure. Sometime between that and when he came down from the climax she had gone limp. Passed out. He shoved her away, letting her fall to the floor hard.

He stumbled back, having to lean against the wall to catch his breath, get his bearings. Even Will had never been that good. Masochistic Bedelia had never been that good. He had created perfection, the only problem was, it was in the one person he absolutely loathed.

* * *

Freddie woke when she was lowered into a tub of water. Warm water for once, not freezing cold. She gasped and coughed loudly, her eyes opening. She started to struggle when she was grabbed rudely and forced back down. It was Will there, not Hannibal. _He was bathing her. Why? Something had happened in the kitchen…but what? When had she even been brought up there?_ She started to calm down, not wanting to get the cast wet and looked at Will.   
  
"Fucking bitch." He growled and slapped her. She yelped and then tried to curl up to avoid his blows. Right then there was no way she wanted to have to deal with his abuse. She had to gather up the memories of what had just happened to her. She had been tied, gagged, there was a vibrator. _Then Hannibal had…had fucked her? Why did her shoulder hurt? It stung._ "You don't even like him. Why are you behaving this way?" He demanded and then shoved her completely underwater, holding her there. She struggled and he brought her back up.   
  
"W-Will!" She gasped. He reached for a bottle of shampoo.   
  
"He's making me groom you, **me**. I've been downgraded." He snarled and started to rather roughly wash her hair. The harness had been removed. _When?_ Wow she must have actually passed out from those orgasms.   
  
"Groom?" She asked. Though her thoughts were complete sentences she couldn't seem to express them correctly. He just rolled her eyes and shoved her back under, holding her there for what seemed like an eternity before bringing her back up.   
  
"You pissed on him you know, when he was fucking you." He said and reached to open the drain to the tub. "Someone should do that to you."   
  
"Will calm down…I'm not…I'm not trying to get him to like me. I'm trying to survive." She managed to whisper.   
  
"Maybe you should stop." He snapped at her.   
  
"Please, you know I don't want to be here. You _know_ that. Why would you accuse me of trying to steal him away. I just don't want to die. I will not cave and I will not let him win….what are you doing?" She asked staring at him as he started to open his pants getting his cock out. "Oh no no no don't you…" She began to sit up but at that point it was too late he was pissing on her. She screamed and moved to shove him back. All he did was grab her hair to make sure he could positively soak her with it. This was asinine because he had just cleaned her. Not sure what he thought he was going to accomplish here. Though he had always been rather insane.   
  
She spat to clear the piss from her mouth that had gathered there when she screamed. He backhanded her then slammed the back of her head against the tile wall when he was finished. The water slowly drained from the tub as she was left in a daze. Covered in piss, feeling nauseous from the smell and the blow to the head. Will turned on the shower, freezing cold water. She let out a weak cry  as it hit her, washing over her.   
  
"Do the rest yourself. I am not your slave. I never will be." He said and stormed out of there slamming the door behind him. He knew that this would earn him one hell of a huge punishment but he also wasn't sure how much he cared. At least he had finally done something to her that was horrible. He'd be lying if he said it didn't feel damn good. 

* * *

"Is Freddie taken care of like I asked, William?" Hannibal inquired as Will entered the lounge where he was sitting. Will snorted with a bit of laughter.   
  
"I guess one could say that." He replied and sat down on the couch before lying back. Hannibal shut the book he was reading and turned to put it back on the shelf behind him.   
  
"What does that mean exactly?" He asked, his tone cold. Before Will could answer, Freddie appeared in the doorway. She had quickly cleaned herself up again just to have this one moment of sweet, sweet revenge. She had dried off as best she could, even though her hair was like a sponge for water, but she was completely naked. Confidently she walked to Hannibal and knelt in front of him.   
  
"He pissed on me. As amusing as you might find that, consider how animals mark their territory, sir." Freddie said softly, lowering her head. Hannibal looked down at her and then back up to Will. His eyes angry. It was less anger over what Will had done and more that he hadn't followed directions and had let his emotions dictate his actions. He hadn't thought any of that through. That's not what he had been trying to teach him.   
  
Shoving Freddie aside he stormed over to Will who was now cowering instead of looking proud of himself. He grabbed the younger man by the back of the neck and pulled him to his feet.   
  
"Bedroom. **NOW**!" He yelled. Will, nearly pissing himself with fear by that point scrambled to follow that order. "Thank you Ms. Lounds. Follow closely. Crawl." He said. For the time being the gloves and boots had been removed. Mostly because she needed to be cleaned and those things were not water proof. She had been left alone, Will had left her alone. He had seriously lucked out that she had such a drive to get revenge on him she hadn't just run out of the house. That would be her downfall but it would be his saving grace. He knew that she wouldn't leave before seeing Will get his comeuppance for what he had done.   
  
When they got into the bedroom, Will immediately knelt by his feet. Hannibal knew he wanted forgiveness but it wasn't going to work this time. He had to learn to follow orders correctly.   
  
"M-Master I…"  
  
"Silence. Strip." Hannibal said and snapped his fingers sharply, "Lie on the bed, on your back, when you are finished." He turned and walked to his dresser. Freddie stayed on the floor and knelt where she was in a good position to watch what ever would happen to Will and also what Hannibal would be doing.   
  
A very panicked Will stripped down quickly. Normally he would have minded very much that Freddie was in the room but with Hannibal in a mood like this it was better to obey than to start complaining that Freddie was going to see him naked. She almost asked what he was going to do but decided that waiting might be the better option.   
  
Hannibal quickly restrained Will's arms by the wrists. They were now above him and strapped to the bedpost. He then spread his legs and strapped each one down to the bedpost on either side of the bed. Freddie licked her lips gently and took in a deep breath. Hannibal still remained silent, eerily so as he gathered two more things from the dresser. A length of thin rope and a box. It was a white box and about the size one would hold wooden matches in but other than that Freddie couldn't tell what was in it.   
  
"Please…not this again…" Will whined. Hannibal firmly slapped his balls. Will's cock twitched and became fully erect. Freddie took in a gasping breath. He was a masochist too. Pathetic little bitch. It almost made her laugh, but she just smiled instead. Hannibal didn't even blink at his plea. Instead he wound the rope around the base of Will's balls and tied it off. He took in a hiss of air and closed his eyes. Freddie moved in a bit more.   
  
She knew what this did to men, she had done it to men before she was….well where she was currently. It constricted the blood vessels and caused the testicles to swell. As long as it wasn't done for an extended period of time there was no lasting damage. It just made them overly sensitive to pain and other stimulation. Hannibal was gripping them lightly, massaging his thumb around the center of them. Slowly, Will's moans turned into whines until they became a sharp yelp of pain. It took a few minutes but even Freddie recognized that noise. It meant it was time to go onto whatever the next part of the punishment was. She only assumed there was a part two because Hannibal had grabbed some sort of box.   
  
Hannibal sat back a bit, getting more comfortable. He was grinning like a kid in a candy store. Freddie was loving it. The box slid open and he removed a needle. Her eyes went wide, _he wasn't actually going to do that, was he? Fuck that was hot_. Without meaning to she let out a small moan. Hannibal turned to look at her.   
  
"You enjoy this?" He asked.   
  
"Y-Yes sir I used to uh do it to men." She muttered, looking away from him a hand nervously going to the back of her neck. She scratched it lightly, his grin grew to enormous proportions.   
  
"Get up here then." Hannibal said.   
  
"How is that fair?" Will whined. Hannibal slapped his balls roughly getting a nice scream from him.   
  
"Life isn't fair." He snarled and waited for Freddie to kneel next to him. "Stroke his cock, he is not allowed to cum." Hannibal said. Normally the idea of touching Will like that would have disgusted her but she was too preoccupied with what Hannibal was doing to care. She wrapped her hand around him and started to stroke him firmly. A bit rough. Tugging harder than she needed to every so often. Will whined but with as tight as he was tied down he couldn't even wiggle.   
  
Hannibal bent down and started to prick at the skin of his swollen balls lightly. Each time, Will would jerk. Hannibal repeated this until he got a loud yelp, that's when he embedded the needle through the skin, evoking a scream. It sent a very pleasurable shudder down Freddie's spine. At least he was getting what he deserved. His cock was leaking precum onto her hand. Despite the sounds he was getting pleasure out of this.   
  
The method was repeated, seven times in all. Until Will was moaning, babbling much like she had been in the kitchen earlier. Completely incoherent with pleasure and pain. Freddie wondered if Hannibal had done this on purpose. Shown her this side of Will because he had seen the same side of her before. Hannibal would obviously know Will would not want to be seen this way by her.   
  
"Good boy, you take your punishment well. Now, are you going to follow orders next time I give them?" Hannibal asked, shoving Freddie aside rudely. She grumbled under her breath but understood she wasn't exactly needed any more. Will was the prize pet in this situation.   
  
"Y-yes sir…yes. I'll listen to you, I promise." He breathed and then let out a pathetic little mewling noise. Hannibal crawled up the bed and stroked his cheek gently.   
  
"Good. Now let me put her away and I'll take care of you when she's gone." He said. Will nodded, tears flowing down his face freely. Partially from pain and partially from the denial to climax which he so badly wanted. Freddie swallowed hard and jerked a bit, trying to convince herself not to run. Hannibal must have noticed this but he didn't say anything. Instead he just grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet, walking her out of there swiftly. She certainly hoped she'd be privy to seeing something like that again.


	13. Internal Screaming

For two weeks the treatment was relatively the same and Freddie was slipping. She could feel everything slipping from her. It was a very slow decent but she knew it was happening. Mostly because Hannibal was giving her more and more privileges. By the end of week two he was leaving phones and other technology to communicate with the outside world right within her reach. No supervision nothing. He had left her alone in the room with his cell phone at least twice and she didn't take it.

The logic in her head had been that now wasn't the right time. He could come in and catch her, that she needed to wait. Yet that made no sense. Anyone she called, anyone she told, anyone who was to catch her on the phone when he came back no matter what he did would help her. She just had to start screaming. There had been many times she could have smashed windows, started fires, grabbed a knife. Yet…she would just sit there and stare blankly. Not wanting to upset him, a thought which was quickly replaced with ' _now isn't the right time there will be another chance_ '.

Yet now she didn't think that at all. Her brain was basically completely devoted to him other than the random screaming thought that she should run. Every morning the treatment was repeated. The gag and the vibrator. Two hours. Then two more when he got home. After each ' _session_ ' he'd fuck her senseless until she basically melted into a puddle on the floor and he had to go clean her up. She was falling into this routine and she neither loved it nor hated it. Something that was very dangerous and threatening to her actual survival. Though she completely recognized this happening and saw it for what it was, she hadn't tried to stop. It was somehow just easier to do everything he wanted. She was even beginning to crave the abuse.

Even worse, by the end of the two weeks she was craving something more obscene. At least in her mind. She wanted Hannibal's cock. Not that damn toy. Part of her was still aware enough to realize that had been the intent behind the sessions. However he had not offered it. No once. She saw Will get it, get choked by his cock, repeatedly. It only made her jealous. She had lashed out at Will about a week and a half into it. Punching him in the face. Hannibal had seemed entirely too amused with that but she was still basically beaten to hell and back for doing it. Will was the golden calf and she was the dirty cur. It greatly reminded her never to that again.

On the morning that would mark going into the third week, Hannibal did not grab her as usual to restrain her. Instead, right after breakfast and taking her out, he brought her into the bedroom again. On the bed she saw an outfit laid out. Clothes that she would typically wear for going somewhere. Work, meetings, whatever. It was a very nice suit something she'd never be able to afford or at least wouldn't have bought because that was top line designer. He must have gotten it for her. She looked at him curiously but didn't say anything. All she really wanted to do in that moment was suck on his cock.

"We are going out, pet. The cast needs to be removed." He told her. She looked down at her wrist. It had been hurting a lot less, but he wanted to take her out? Really? Was that a good idea. She nuzzled her face against his legs, as she had crawled behind him and shook her head. She didn't know why but that seemed like the right response to what he had just said. He grabbed her hair and yanked her head back. "Freddie, you need to have that removed and I do not have the equipment to do it myself."

That was mostly a lie. Hannibal could get that thing of easily but he wanted to somewhat test how much control he had over her. How she would behave in a setting where she could very easily get help. In a hospital they were required to ask her if she was safe at home, if she felt safe. He wondered how she might answer. He was almost 100% certain that this wasn't going to backfire. With how she'd been acting and all the other little loyalty tests he'd given her, he knew she really had no intent on getting help. Or, if she had the inclination she didn't have the will to act on it.

"A-Are you sure? That outfit is very nice. You bought it for me. You didn't have to." She said her hands going to try to undo his pants without her actually realizing she was doing it. All she wanted was that cock in her mouth, and it was obscene to think that way but she wanted it. It would make her feel so good. It always felt so good. Then he rewarded her and made her feel better. She liked that.

"Obviously I didn't have to. However, you've been very well behaved and I figured you would greatly appreciate it. Think of it as a reward." He explained and stopped her hands from what they were doing. She whined loudly and wigged around in frustration but didn't do much more than that. "If what you seek is in my pants, you will get it as long as you are behaved for the doctor." He started to stroke her hair gently.

"R-really?" She looked up at him hopefully, like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Yes, really. Do you need help?" He asked.

"No sir. I can do it. I'll be good." She said nodding her head rapidly and hurrying over to the clothes. At that moment in time all she had on was the head harness with the dog ears. He would need to take that off himself because it was locked in place but she could get dressed. She would make herself look perfect for him, be good at the doctor's office, and then get his cock. It was all she had wanted for two weeks now.

* * *

The office was normal, it was at the main hospital. The one where she had first stayed after they had found her completely drugged up and drenched in Abigail's blood. She wasn't sure if she liked being there but she sat really close to Hannibal. He was admittedly being more affectionate than usual. Far more affectionate and it was twisting her in odd ways. He kept talking to her to keep her calm and for some reason it was working. There were other people there, several other people. Why wasn't she screaming for help? Why wasn't she doing anything? It was almost painful how badly she wanted to alert just one person and did absolutely nothing about it.   
  
"Fredrika Lounds?" A nurse asked as she came in through the doorway to the waiting room. Freddie looked at Hannibal who gave her a slight, almost imperceptible nod of the head.   
  
"That's me." She said softly and stood up. He didn't. "You….you aren't coming?"   
  
"You can do this on your own." He said to her. Why was he doing this? Allowing this? Why wasn't she just running? Why did she actually want him there? How did any of this make sense? Her lip trembled a bit and she headed towards the nurse.   
  
She was led back to another room, an exam room and told to sit. That the doctor would be in soon. She did as she was told just staring blankly at the wall in front of her. Once again every thought in her head screaming at her to run, to get help, to tell but not being able to act on it. She was for the first time in her life legitimately terrified of the consequences of bad behavior. No one would believe her anyway. She had already tried to tell on Hannibal. It backfired with Will and it got Leila killed. Why drag another person into this when it was just going to mean horror for them too?   
  
"Ms. Lounds? I'm Doctor Allistar. I'm going to remove your cast okay?" A female in a lab coat said as she entered. "How are you today?"   
  
"Fine." She replied rather simply.   
  
"That's good. Hell of a day myself. Stuck in traffic, some little kid puked on me." Doctor Allistar laughed softly and went to get the saw that would cut the cast off. "This is going to be loud but it won't hurt. Can you sit on the exam table?" Freddie nodded and then stood up walking over to the exam table to do as she was told. When then doctor approached her they made eye contact. Freddie was just screaming in her head. HELP ME PLEASE CAN YOU NOT SEE WHAT'S GOING ON? STOP HIM! None of those words would come out though. For a brief moment, very brief it seemed liked the doctor had paused and understood her but then she just went to work cutting the cast off.   
  
"Thank you. That thing was annoying." Freddie said once the cast was off of her wrist.   
  
"I bet. You're a writer aren't you? Well at least now you can get back to work. I really miss reading your column." The doctor said and helped her stood up. That comment really hit home for her. She had been a writer a long time ago, well it seemed like a long time. Tears burned her eyes just a bit. A tiny pang of everything she once was. She nodded and forced a smile that she hoped wasn't too fake.   
  
"Always nice to meet a fan." She replied her voice a bit shaky. The doctor smiled at her and headed for the door. "Doctor Allistar?"   
  
"Yes?"   
  
"Things aren't always what they appear to be you know." She spoke very softly after a moment. It was a statement that ultimately could mean nothing. Especially if the doctor chose not to read into it. It was far worse than "Hannibal Lecter is the ripper" or "I'm being brainwashed into sex slavery and I need you to help" but it was all she could manage to do in way of crying out to be saved.   
  
"Alright uh…a nurse will be in here with aftercare instructions in a moment. You should probably have a few weeks of physical therapy for your wrist to strengthen it back up. I'm sure I'll be seeing your newest article very soon right?" She asked. Freddie nodded softly and the doctor left. The tears started to come shortly after that but she made herself stop just in time for the nurse to come in and ramble on about a bunch of stuff she didn't even pay attention to. She really wished she hadn't become this shadow of her former self but it seemed clear to her now she wasn't going to actually get help and Hannibal Lecter would be the death of her.


	14. Unlikely Savior

In the car Freddie was playing with her hands a bit nervously. _Did Hannibal know what she had said?_ The doctor just kind of looked at her like she was nuts anyway. No doubt he had already explained she was mentally ill. She didn't ever question why no one was looking for her. Why Jack never came by. She never questioned why no one was worried, what happened to her website, what people were thinking. Yet that doctor seemed to know something. _Had someone updated her website?_

It was kind of funny that the one thing that kind of gave her a reality check in all of this was her writing. Was that fact that, yes, at some point there were people who knew who she was. She had fans. Readers. Subscribers. A whole website that a ton of people paid attention too. It was like she had just forgotten that. Some how it had been erased from her consciousness. That woman had brought the idea back. The memory of who she was. No one had mentioned that website to her as of late. _Why would they? Considering that she was fighting for her life, why would she even think about it?_ Now she was.

It was tempting to ask Hannibal about it. What people were saying, how that doctor could have possibly known anything. How much was she on the news? How much had her story made the papers? Had the FBI released a statement? Was she even named in it? Now things weren't sitting right with her any more but she knew if she showed any sign of that to Hannibal she would just make it worse on herself. They were in his car and once again she could easily draw attention to herself. Motion to another vehicle or just get out when they were at a stop light. She wasn't doing that and she couldn't figure out why.

"Did I do good, sir?" She asked him. It was mainly wanting to know if she had been caught, if the doctor had said anything to him. It was even hard to ask because he really didn't like questions. Ever. Not even about what time of day it was.

"You did very well." He replied. "We were invited for dinner at Doctor Du Maurier's house. You remember her, correct?"

"Yes sir." She muttered still playing with her hands. It was odd to think so long had passed that she didn't need that cast any more. It felt funny to be without it. She wasn't broken any more, at least not her hand. She didn't like that feeling.

When they got to Bedelia's house, Freddie just followed in obediently feeling rather horrible about the fact she wasn't trying to run. What ever happened to her that she couldn't fight back? That she couldn't say no? She wasn't screaming. The spark, that fire, that flamed candle she held onto for so long had gone out and she hadn't even noticed it. Not until it had been too late. Now she was far too painfully aware of that and there was nothing left to ignite the wick.   
  
"Bring it in. It's trained right? Not going to piss all over my carpet?" Bedelia asked as Freddie shuffled in behind Hannibal. Normally she would have had some kind of comeback for that but even silently she couldn't think of one. She just winced a bit, expecting once again to be struck by someone. Hannibal and Will did it all the time and that woman was just like them.   
  
"She's gotten far better at not doing that. Don't think she fears me to that level any more. Pity, it was rather entertaining to watch." Hannibal said and kissed Bedelia softly. "Has Will arrived?"   
  
"Not yet, he called, wanted to let you know he'd be late. Meeting with Jack. They are starting to get a bit suspicious. You are aware of this right?" Bedelia asked.   
  
"I am aware that Jack has requested to see Ms. Lounds several times but he is easily placated. I'll just speak to him myself." Hannibal said very quickly. Freddie looked up when she heard this. _Jack had wanted to see her? How many times had he asked? What were they telling him to hold him back?_ Someone needed to send him, the police, anyone, even that horribly annoying Alana woman.   
  
"M-Maybe you should--" Freddie started to suggest that it would be okay to see Jack because she had just been to the hospital and that was okay but Hannibal hit her and she fell to her knees with the force of the blow. She forgot that even phrasing a suggestion like that was wrong. Telling him what he ' _maybe should do_ ' was a big no no. It wasn't nice to tell Master what he should do. Even if it was helpful.   
  
"Stay down." Hannibal commanded her. She nodded and just sat there on the floor rubbing her face a bit.   
  
"Thought it was trained." Bedelia mused looking at Hannibal with an odd sort of grin.   
  
"She is, just a little excitable because I took her out today, that's all. I would very much enjoy a glass of wine." Hannibal replied glancing at Freddie and then back to his female sadist. She smiled at him and started to head towards the kitchen. "You stay." He ordered firmly and then followed after her. 

When Will finally did arrive something was, weird. It wasn't that he was treating her any differently but there was less harshness behind it. Far less. If Hannibal or Bedelia noticed this they weren't saying anything. It was more cold indifference than outright hatred. Will had changed his mind about something, and she was now curious as to what.   
  
When the three of them were eating dinner, Will was the most quiet. Not all that unusual when she saw him eat dinner with Hannibal but even still he talked more than he was talking now. Even when he was asked questions. It wasn't just a matter of them ignoring him he really wasn't saying anything to either of them. _Was he angry with them? What exactly was going on? Why were none of them even reacting to his oddness?_   
  
She was just kneeling on the floor by Hannibal, her head in his lap, that's what she usually did. She kept nuzzling her face against his cock, it was quite involuntary but she couldn't stop herself. He kept shoving her back but it also seemed like he might be rather amused with her programed behavior rather than annoyed with it. When he stood after dinner she reached to undo his pants but he slapped her hands away. She whined softly.   
  
"Stop it, you need to do one thing first." He said and then looked at Will. "Clean up. Bedelia and I will be upstairs with Freddie." Hannibal told him. Freddie turned to look at Will's reaction to this. He looked incredibly enraged but only for a split second before nodding.   
  
"Freddie." He hissed and started to clear the table. Hannibal snapped his fingers and started to walk. She scrambled after him if she got his cock as a reward then that's all the incentive she needed, though she wasn't sure why she was thinking that. It was stupid and completely unlike her. The flame was out, completely. 

* * *

"Ms. Lounds...Ms. Lounds get up." Someone was talking to her, familiar voice but not Hannibal, or Will. Deep voice. She lifted her arm to swat at him, it was very irritating, and she found that she was attached to wires. **Shit**. _Had it happened again?_ No.... **no**! _Who had she killed? Who died? What happened? Where was she?_ She screamed loudly, but she had her voice still. Oh Thank **God**. Thank God that she had that back. A God that she didn't really believe in. Her eyes opened, it was Jack. She was in a hospital. No Will, no Hannibal, no Bedelia. "Ms. Lounds you need to start talking."   
  
"W-What....what about? Where's Hannibal?" She scrambled back from him nearly falling off the bed. Immense pain in her back and side. Fuck. It was like someone had cut into her. God it hurt. She whined loudly and went still.   
  
"Hannibal is in custody as is Bedelia Du Maurier and Will Graham." He said, "I believe you."   
  
"TOOK YOU FUCKING LONG ENOUGH YOU STUPID PRICK!" She screamed at him. It was mostly the pain doing that to her. He rolled his eyes but didn't really appear to get angry. Obviously he realized what a mistake he had made before and was going to allow her that outburst.   
  
"All of that aside you need to say something, right now." He said. She sniffled a bit, a few tears coming. She wanted Hannibal, no she _**NEEDED**_ him. _Why?_ God that man had done a number on her brain. All she could think about was asking him what she was supposed to say, what she was supposed to do, what lie to tell next, what to help people believe. She needed him back he told her stuff he was right.   
  
"Where's Hannibal I have to see him first." She said trying to sit up again and crying out from the pain. "What happened to me?" She demanded.   
  
"We found Hannibal Lecter attempting to remove one of your kidneys. You still want to see him?" Jack asked her slowly. Her jaw dropped mostly because yes she still wanted to see him. Clearly he had a good reason for...no...no. She had to call the shots now. He believed her. She had to tell the truth or at least twist things in her favor. Her mouth closed and she shook her head.   
  
"How did you know? I mean...where to find me?" She asked.   
  
"Will told us." He replied.   
  
"Will?" She whispered. Yes Will but, he hated her, and he had... _saved her life?_ That was of course if Hannibal had actually been attempting to kill her. One could live just fine with one kidney. Yes. He wouldn't do that, surely he just wanted to serve her for dinner. She shivered with horror and arousal at that thought. "Do I still have my kidney?"   
  
"Yes, the managed to save it." He said, "He hadn't gotten very far."   
  
"He's the ripper." She said, it wasn't a question.   
  
"Yes I--"  
  
"I'm suing the fuck out of the FBI for this you just try to stop me. He killed Leila Dawson, he killed Abigail Hobbs, under your direction he took me, held me captive. He fucked with me Crawford, fucked with me **GOOD**. You are sued, the whole fucking government is sued. Everyone out of a job!" She yelled at him. Though she wasn't so sure how serious she was about this, she did know she wanted to see heads roll but why Will? _Why would Will save her?_ He wanted her gone just as much as anyone else. Will she had to get to Will and make sure it wasn't in a prison. There wouldn't be enough privacy there. Matters like this had to stay.....secret.   
  
"Miss Lounds, right now it's more important you start answering questions." He said, "Agent Dawson was killed by Hannibal? How do you know?"   
  
"He told me and made me eat her remains. Do I need to draw you a picture?" She growled.   
  
"How did he kill Abigail?" Crawford asked.   
  
"He drugged me, both of us. We went to a cabin, somewhere...I don't know I was drugged. He has a cabin, find it. He told me...he took me out there told me to run told her to run. Said he liked her better she was going to win. First to be caught was dinner I..." She stopped talking. She had been more involved in that death than she had just angrily shouted. _Could she tell him?_ "I want a lawyer."   
  
"Miss Lounds--"  
  
"LAWYER!" She screamed at him. He growled under his breath, obviously hoping to take advantage of her while she was still a bit panicked but the flame had been reignited and she was thinking again. Thinking for herself. At least for the time being. She would not implicate herself. Though she knew ultimately it was due to Hannibal that Abigail had died she did deliver the death blow. She'd need a lawyer to explain this and several psychiatrists, not herself. Crawford would twist her words and scapegoat her.   
  
"Just tell me one thing. Not even about you." He said holding his hands up as a gentle sign of surrender. She looked at him, at that point it really depended what he asked. She nodded her head, waiting for him to ask the question. "When Will says he had no idea Hannibal was the ripper, and never took part in your abuse, is he telling the truth?"   
  
Her lip trembled a bit. Something in her was screaming not to implicate Will. He wasn't exactly there all the time but he did do things to her, a lot of things. He was fucking Hannibal, for all she knew he had killed with the man. However, he had saved her life, he had for some reason alerted Crawford and his team of FBI thugs to come and get her. _Why_? If she condemned him she would never know because she was sure as hell certain he wouldn't ever be talking to her. He saved her life, she would in turn save him, and once again she would have the upper-hand.   
  
"I never saw Will Graham once Hannibal took  me back to his house. Well it was the home of Doctor Du Maurier first. Will was not a part of this. He's telling the truth. I assume someone like the ripper would just want to drag down anyone he can, Hannibal is lying." She said in an extremely convincing tone of voice. Obviously in this situation she was the most culpable witness. She was the one who would tell the truth as she was the ' _innocent_ ' in a sense. She knew to start screaming that Hannibal had done nothing wrong and she still needed him would not help her. She had to save Will, Crawford wouldn't have any reason to think she would protect him or any of the three.   
  
"Thank you. I will allow you time to get a lawyer." He said, "Twenty four hours Miss. Lounds." He headed out of the room and she laid back starting to cry. Though she was 'free' she really wasn't. She would basically be trapped under Hannibal's thumb forever. There felt like there was a huge empty hole in her chest. Like she had just lost something but at the same time she knew this had saved her life. All she wanted in that moment was Hannibal and yet he was still the last person she ever wanted to see again. She may have won the battle but he had won the war.

The next twenty four hours were such a stressful set of hours that when it was over she ended up vomiting. That wasn't until Jack and her lawyer had left. They were keeping her in the hospital, observation for her injury and apparently suicide watch. She wasn't suicidal that was just ludicrous. She was a bit psychotic, just good at hiding it. A constant internal monologue telling her that she had to get to Master, save him. That he was just misunderstood, he had helped her. Whatever had transpired between going up the stairs at Bedelia's house and waking up in the hospital still escaped her.   
  
It was tempting to just call Will but she knew that would look suspicious. He wasn't coming to see her either, at least he hadn't. She figured a man like that would just split town the very moment that he could. They would clear him of all charges and he'd be gone forever. Then she'd have to track him down and it would be a huge mess, he'd probably call the cops on her. God she just wanted Hannibal back. So funny how the one person who took him down was the one person no one suspected. _Yet why? Why had he done that?_ It made absolutely no sense.   
  
Another day passed, no Will. That night she had requested something to help her sleep. They gave her ativan through her IV and left her, the call button was close by just incase. She wished she could remember what had happened as much as she didn't. Part of her was thankful that whatever the hell Hannibal had used to knock her out had erased about an hour of memories before that point. Maybe it was just better not to know. Jack would only give her vague details and she really didn't try to pry into it. She just wanted to sleep, feel safe again, feel better. There was still a tug at her heart. A nasty, sickening little tug that made her crave the touch and abuse of Hannibal Lecter. 

_"Anything you want....anything....I swear...." Freddie was pleading. She was on a bed, a nice, warm, soft bed. Quite a change from where she usually slept. There were hands on her, she was being undressed. Lips. Soft one. The scent of roses. Soft and sweet,  honey. Platinum blond hair. Bedelia, yes Bedelia was on her now. So soft, so gently. Hands on her breasts, stomach, cunt. A fluttery moan left Freddie's lips. "Master just tell me...I don't want to die."_   
  
_"There are many things you could offer in lieu of your actual death. I believe you are creative. Think." Hannibal spoke. She squeezed her eyes shut. There was a mouth on her cunt, a beautiful, warm, soft, hot mouth. She groaned, arching up. He was watching, the room was dark, or the memory was. She was going to die if she didn't tell him something. Offer him something. Master was displeased and this woman, this gorgeous woman was eating her out. It was not an easy situation to think under._   
  
_"P-please sir....I....Unh....FUCK!" She breathed, her hand coming down to tangle in those perfectly soft locks of blond hair. She was no stranger to sex with women but this woman....this goddess...it was heaven. She was basically an expert. "Y-you can....eat something...of mine." She whispered not thinking of how to phrase it right. It did pique his interest though and he sat up a bit more._   
  
_"I'm listening." He said. His eyes shone in the dim light, they looked evil yet loving. Heaven and hell all in two very small, chaotic orbs. Seemed to glow a bit._   
  
_"K-Kidney....only need one to live....right? D-Don't kill me. I want to please you. I'm yours....perfect...remember?" She cried out, thrusting her hips up. She was dizzy, muddled. More than just the pleasure was doing this to her....what? How did she even get here? She groaned and then screamed, arching her back as she orgasmed. It had been magnificent._   
  
_"Very well then. Your kidney it is." He said and evil chuckle echoing through out the room...._

* * *

Her eyes opened slowly and Will was standing there. More like looming. Light was spilling into the room through the grated windows. As if she'd be stupid enough to try to escape through there. She blinked a few times and rubbed her face roughly. _Was it him? Or was this another drug induced thing?_   
  
"You were dreaming about him." Will spoke his voice rather dark. She nodded, the flame on that candle started to flicker with such a familiar presence. One that had also dominated her, abused her. A lesser force but still a force. She grew aroused and shifted a bit, pulling the blanket up over her tightly. Trying to hide.   
  
"How did you know?" She whispered.   
  
"You were talking to Master." He replied sounding rather disgusted and almost irritated. "Happy?"   
  
"With?" She whispered.   
  
"I freed you." He said.   
  
"Why?" She asked.   
  
"Because it will really stick in his craw that the one guy he didn't suspect did it. Plus he was far too focused on you. I didn't like it." Will snarled moving in close to her quickly like he was about to bite her. His teeth snapped. She squeaked a bit and scooted back. Of course once again she ended up wetting herself. That was great. She'd never done that for him before, just Hannibal. She was going to need years of psychiatric care.   
  
"H-He was going to kill me, I would have been out of the way regardless." She said, "Fuck...you need to get a nurse." She told him sitting up. There was no way she was going to just keep talking to him in a piss soaked bed.   
  
"Don't tell me what I need to do, Miss. Lounds. I saved your life I think I'm in control." He told her sounding rather proud of himself.   
  
"I told Jack you never took part in my abuse. You want me to change my story and say I was just confused?" She snarled at him, getting a bit of that flame's strength back.   
  
"No need to lose your head." Will stated calmly, yet he was still dark. Something about him was dark. It was as if a shadow had permanently crept over him and clung to him. It was bright in there and yet he was still somehow bathed in darkness. It was eerie and rather horrifying. He stood up and left. She threw the blankets back and grabbed the one IV bag she was still attached to. Pain medications. She headed into the bathroom to get cleaned up. She needed to get ahold of herself quickly. Will was not going to take the place of Hannibal Lecter....and yet she desperately needed someone to fill that void. Someone or something. She was lacking a big part of her and she had to get it back no matter what the cost.


	15. Mental Prison

"So I can just....go then?" Freddie asked Jack. She had been brought clothes from her hotel room. Apparently they had been moved to some kind of storage, someone had ordered that. She wasn't sure who. Possibly it was Hannibal, as it seemed he liked to rifle around in personal matters. Either way at least she had all her things. It would kind of be a bitch to start over having to get all new clothes, a new computer, a new car. The car had just been impounded but Jack was ' _helping her out_ ' by getting it removed free of charge. Yeah. That helped all her troubles just fly away. At least with the few months she'd been gone all the money from her site was being directly deposited into her already hefty bank account. She'd just get a hotel room until she could actually get home.

What most people didn't realize about her was she did have a home. She was just overly careful about who knew where it was. With her reputation, and the people she constantly pissed off it was far better for no one to know where she lived. The house wasn't even in her name, not really. It was part of an inheritance. A grandfather she had never known trying to screw over a father she had never known because he was a worthless drunk. At least with that house and the massive inheritance she had been able to set up her own website and just double her profits. It was a good thing for her as well because when she got older she came to appreciate much more finer things in life than trailer park trash mac and cheese.

Freddie Lounds was not ever going to be seen as some poor, white, trash girl. Low class whore that slept around. That money had changed her life, helped her finish college, get her degree, start a business. It made her a better person. Made her wiser, smarter. She would not go back or allow anyone to take that from her. Yet Hannibal... _God was he ever still on her mind_. It had been three more days, she was cleared by psychiatric and the doctors to just leave. It seemed wrong. It seemed like if Hannibal wasn't there to tell her what to do she just wouldn't know.

"Yes, Miss Lounds. Don't leave town, if you do, notify us where you went. We will need you around for the trial." Jack said.

"I figured as much." She muttered. No. It wouldn't be that easy for her just walking away from this. At least she'd get book deals now, maybe her own documentary or movie. She still planned to sue the crap out of the FBI. It would just be easier to do it once the Hannibal trial was over. She so very much wanted to lie about what he'd done to her. It was a pleasing thought to try to exonerate him so she could be back with him and yet she knew that was impossible. She also knew even if she could do that, it wasn't right to do, not for the sake of her own mental health. "Don't worry, there are still stories to write." She said.

"Good. We'll be in touch." Jack said and walked out. She took a deep breath and headed out of the room a moment later. All she had been given was her car keys and the keys to a storage locker. That was other than the clothes that had been brought for her. Just jeans and a black t-shirt. Her jacket as well. All of them smelled like, before, and she didn't like it. She wanted the smell of Hannibal back and desperately.

She headed out to the parking lot where Jack had told her that her car was parked. Looking down at the numbers in each of the spaces counting up to where her car should be. Unlike her normal behavior of talking to and smiling at everyone, she had pulled into herself and kept her head down. It was a mistake as the next thing she did was slam right into Will. She screamed and backed up.

"Wear a fucking bell you psycho." She snapped at him and unlocked her car door using the remote on her keychain. He tossed something at her, colorful, intricate pattern. Out of reflex she caught it. Silk, smooth...Hannibal's handkerchief, one of them at least. Immediately she brought it to her nose to smell it. Yes that was definitely his. Quickly shaking the dreamy smile off of her face she went to get in her car.

"You want to be back with him." Will said. "Why?"

"Okay I want to be back with him but I know it's only because he fucked with my head. I know it's not healthy for me. I know he tried to take my kidney so he could eat it. That being said, I will not be crawling back to him any time soon." She said getting in her car. He stepped up and held the door open in a freakishly strong grasp.

"Oh you're going to go back there's no stopping it." He told her. She shivered and started the car. She was not going to piss herself again that was for damn sure.

"Will it's by my good grace you are walking free right now. Let go of the door or I will start driving anyway and I really don't care if it kills you." She told him. She knew in her heart and very soul he was right about this. She had already been planning on sweet talking someone to get her visitation rights, but there was no way he would hear this confirmed.

"He's not going to get out. He's the ripper." Will said, "You'll have to settle for me."

"I'd rather choke on my own shit and die, thank you very much." She snapped putting the car in gear and starting to back up to show him she wasn't joking. He stumbled back a bit but still held onto the door, still kept it open. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?" She screamed.

"I want you to stop lying to yourself." He said.

"Lying to myself about what?" She demanded.

"About how much you love him, want him, need him. There's something missing now, isn't there? And you don't know how to get it back." He chuckled darkly, a rather sickening smile spreading across his face. A malevolent evil grin that both terrified and aroused her at the same time.

"Stop projecting Will. You'll be locked up soon enough if you don't." She said and backed the car up more, this time it was quicker and with enough of a jerk to knock him down. She grabbed the handle to the door and slammed it shut, locking it quickly. He got up as if nothing had just happened, his eyes were so different. Not rather dull and annoyed like the first few times they had met. No. Now they were evil, predatory, like Hannibal's eyes had been when she was in the bedroom with that Bedelia woman. She stared at him for quite a bit, he was just swaying there, not saying or doing anything at all. She couldn't listen to him, she had to stop thinking there was any way to fix this other than time. Time away from Hannibal would cure this void in the pit of her stomach and soul. It was exactly what she intended to do. As she drove off she was completely unaware she had taken the handkerchief back out of her pocket, once again breathing in the sent of the ripper. Her true Master.

* * *

For days Freddie was going nuts, she had made sure to go somewhere under an assumed name so Will would have a hard time tracking her down. She didn't exactly fear him as much as she knew she would end up fucking him and allowing the abuse to continue should she see him. That hole was getting bigger and nothing was filling it. Even trips to the shadiest BDSM clubs in town didn't help. Turned out those people, though sadistic, weren't psychopaths and had limits. She was kicked out of a few for requesting some of the things she did and then banned for life.  
  
She wasn't sure what to do so she ended up bribing Dr. Chilton's secretary to get her in with him. That would be the first step towards seeing Hannibal again. The last thing she wanted to do was deal with that man but he would probably be easily sated by some kind of sexual favor with the way he always looked at her and hell, she'd been through far worse in the past few months with Hannibal.  
  
After a rather undignified and not terribly creative blow job in Chilton's private bathroom she was granted a visitor's pass for one hour with Hannibal. He called it a press pass so she could interview him. It was a load of shit on her part. Chilton really didn't know what she wanted but she played it up like it was going to be the best story she ever wrote and she just had to confirm a few memories. He didn't believe Hannibal would even help her but he also didn't seem to care once she started to flirt with him.  
  
She headed to his cell rather quickly. It was in a nice area, as for the time being Hannibal had displayed rather decent behavior. Also he hadn't been convicted yet he was just being held. They didn't really have any set charges so there was far less danger in everyone else's minds and it had only been about a week. She thought it was nuts there wasn't far more security than the two half asleep, overweight guards that she passed at the door but it would benefit her more in the long run. It meant she'd get privacy.  
  
"Ms. Lounds." He said as he saw her approach. She went right up to the bars of the cell putting her hands on them. She wasn't even told not to do that, she thought maybe they'd be guarding him better. He probably had a very good lawyer. One that argued that a man not yet convicted shouldn't be a high priority security risk.  
  
He wasn't in a suit, well not one of his normal ones. A prison uniform. Something with no rope, elastic, or wire that would be easily removable. She didn't like this, it wasn't right. He was in a cage he shouldn't be. He should be out there with her, keeping her, protecting her. He stood up from the bed where he had been reading over some kind of paperwork.  
  
"Sir..." She whispered.  
  
"Not here, Ms. Lounds." he said and came over to her, stroking her hair gently but with one quick yank he had removed a lock of it, a perfectly formed curl. Grabbing a book he quickly tucked it in between the pages and shut it. It would be nice to have something tactile to stroke and smell later as he thought about his perfect little pet. His creation. The one that came crawling back to him even with how she had suffered. She was perfection, she was everything he had ever wanted. She was his toy and she made him very happy. She hissed softly when he did that but didn't draw too much attention to his actions.  
  
"D...Doctor Lecter I need...I can't do this." She whispered not letting go of the bars, staring at him rather desperately. "Will won't leave me alone he wants to take your place, I don't trust him, why should I trust him I--"  
  
"You let him walk free, this is your own doing. Why not confirm he was a part of this? You made me look crazy, you would understand I do not appreciate that." He went back to the bed and sat down, turning away from her a bit as he picked up the papers he was previously holding. He grabbed a pen and started to write something.  
  
"I needed to know why he did it. I didn't think he'd talk to me if I signed his death warrant." She told him.  
  
"Both a wise and poor decision Ms. Lounds." Hannibal said, still not looking at her. She didn't like this, she had upset him and it wasn't okay. Not good to upset Master. Never good.  
  
"He told me why he did it did...did he even tell you?" She asked.  
  
"You assume I need to know." Hannibal replied. He slipped the papers into a folder and headed back over to her. "What did he say to you?"  
  
"He said he did it because it would...well to put it in his terms...really stick in your craw." She said and then winced softly. He nearly grinned at the terminology and held the folder through the bars.  
  
"This is for you, it will help you with the article you are going to write, I'm sure." He told her. "Why is no one questioning your presence here?" He leaned in and took in a small breath, she scrambled backwards. It was too late, he smelled it on her.  
  
"I--"  
  
"You were with another were you not? To get in here? To see me? Did you think I would approve?" He asked looking far more angry than she had ever seen him. Though chances were that it was most likely him being locked in a dull cage with a horrible outfit for a week that amped up his rage to the point it was.  
  
"Y-Yes but see I had to get in I had to--"  
  
"As disapproving as I am of that behavior, and as much as you will not do that again, I needed it to be done. You will not touch another man you are my property, Ms. Lounds. Is that completely understood?" He asked her.  
  
"Y-Yes sir of course." She said, her head lowered in utter shame as her cheeks flared up red hot with the humiliation and arousal. The familiar sense of pain and degradation. The void was being filled just by his simple actions and words. "Hurt me again."  
  
"You think you deserve a reward?"  
  
"N-No a punishment." She whispered.  
  
"Ms. Lounds you and I both know pain is not a punishment for you any more." He said. "Lack of pain, lack of attention, lack of scolding that's your punishment. Is it not?"  
  
"Sir please I did all of this and I need..."  
  
"You want, Ms. Lounds you only want. My attention is a privilege not a right." He told her, "Take that information and use it wisely. I trust you will know how."  
  
"H-Hannibal..."  
  
"Excuse me?" He hissed, much like a snake ready to strike at the prey it had been eyeing. She whined softly and looked towards the door. It was pretty quiet back here, no one was really paying attention. The cell directly next to him was empty for the moment. She pulled her skirt up and her panties down, wriggling out of them. Approaching the bars again she held them out to him.  
  
"Here."  
  
"This? This is what you offer me?" he asked. It was rather smart on her part. He'd be able to smell her rather intimately and she must have already known he'd enjoy that greatly in his isolation. How much it would please him to have such a personal item of hers. He really had trained her well. He would not praise her for it, though he didn't think she was looking for that. No she was looking to do the right thing and it was the right thing, which meant no praise was merited. At least not in his mind. "Get here." he said motioning for her to come closer.  
  
She swallowed hard and got within contact distance of his hand. In one incredibly quick motion he grabbed her shoulder, right near where it joined with her neck and pinched her. Then he released, it was very quick, should someone be watching they might have doubted anything actually happened. She almost did herself until the pain shot through her rapidly. Her mouth opened in order to scream but he raised his fingers to his lips. She grabbed one of the bars and shut her eyes tightly, her mouth clamping down on her lower lip hard enough to draw blood, and a lot of it. He must have pinched a nerve. It felt like her entire body was on fire, about to explode. It was the most pleasure she had gotten in a week and she was loving it. Her arousal grew until she actually orgasmed with a small yelp, looking up at him when she did. He liked to watch her cum, to know what he had done to her. It was only right, as he had created her.  
  
"T-Thank you." She breathed and then coughed. His hand came out and wiped some of the blood from her chin, once again just as quick as he had pinched her. He sucked on his fingers for a moment, a deep growl welling up from his chest.  
  
"Go. Do what you must with that information, it is very important Ms. Lounds." He told her. She nodded and stumbled out of there on shaky legs. The pain still working through her, building her to yet another climax. Once she was in the car she did touch herself. Working her hand furiously over her cunt until she came again, screaming loudly with the intensity of it. Though she had no clue what was in that folder or why it was so damn important, she would make sure to follow through with his commands. It gave her a sense of purpose which she was lacking before. She only hoped that he wouldn't be found out and he could behave himself until she could do as she was told.


	16. Where Is The Edge?

As soon as Freddie was back in her hotel room she opened the folder she had been handed. She knew that if she had tried to check it while driving then she would have ended up crashing. It looked like a bunch of legal documents that actually needed to be read. As such, she ended up speeding back to the hotel. Her curiosity and need to help her Master was almost insatiable at that point.

She spread things out on the bed in an organized manner and started to skim everything at once, looking for the most important thing. The one clue that would help her start this process. He said that the information would help her write her article but she knew that it was not that. Obviously he couldn't tell her that it was the stuff that would help him get out of this mess, no matter how lax security was. The thing that caught her eye first was a pink slip of paper. Possibly because it was pink and everything else was white. She grabbed it.

The labeling address on the paper was the same as the key to the storage unit she had been given. She had been back to that place to get the majority of her stuff, but as the locker had been paid up for the next year she didn't see it as a huge hurry to get everything. There was a lot there and she was very zapped of actual motivation to do anything. That was, until this moment. The paper had the number of a different unit on it though and what it said was that she was now in legal ownership of that locker. Obviously it had belonged to Hannibal before. _Had the FBI not found it?_ If it had been switched to her name they never would. How fast had he done this? If he had a good lawyer, and he probably did, it could have been done within the first few hours of his arrest. Smart move.

The deeper he had gotten into her training the more he must have considered her some kind of insurance plan. Though she figured he never planned on getting caught, he also wouldn't be foolish enough to have someone on the outside to help him. That's where she came in. It was hard to want to stop herself at that point. _What was in that locker? Was it transferred to her name because he wanted her to go there? Or was it transferred to her name so that any contents couldn't be used against him?_ She supposed it could have been put in her name and he could have never informed her but he had, for some reason he had. He wanted her to go there.

At very least she could be surrounded by a part of him in that place. It wasn't okay for her to go back to his house or Bedelia's so this was the next best option for her. Filing all the other papers back into the folder she shut it and headed back to her car. She could finish reading over the things in a more comfortable and familiar surrounding. Everything was just too much here, she needed the scent of him back. His presence in some form.

"Hi, I need a key to this storage locker." She said showing the clerk the bottom of the slip. It was detachable and showed she was the new owner. She had ripped off the top part to avoid questions as to why she had Hannibal's locker now as his name was everywhere in the papers. Chances were the clerk only knew the number not the name. The place seemed to pride themselves on privacy of their customers. That was, as long as they paid the monthly or yearly fees. The guy looked at the slip then gave her an odd look before handing over the key.   
  
"It's down that way, last and biggest one." He said. She nodded and headed in that direction. She hadn't liked the look the clerk had given her. It could be due to her own paranoia though. The sense of always screwing something up that was built into her care of Hannibal Lecter. She headed down to the last locker and it certainly was the biggest.   
  
Inside she didn't really see anything of immediate concern. At least nothing that could be used as evidence. Once she shut the shutter again she went and sat on one of the couches that was in there and turned on her flashlight to read over the other documents he had given her. It was probably going to take a while to figure out what it all meant but she would, and she would use it to help Hannibal get out of that prison cell. 

Will was on the prowl he knew he needed to find her. the rat. The ginger rat who had burrowed her way into things that were not her business. Had she never appeared and became Hannibal's perfect little experiment he might have been able to keep quiet. No, she ruined everything. Ruined all of it. Yes he would make her pay and he would get Hannibal out of jail. Hannibal would be so pleased with him he would forget all about the fact that Freddie was the one who had to be sacrificed for his freedom. Will would earn back the praise and devotion he so rightfully deserved above that cunt.   
  
He had done research, a lot of it. Though he wasn't really  _allowed_ to use the FBI database any more to search for things he knew how to do it. No one had bothered to lock him out. He had been dismissed from the FBI and was under investigation himself. A close eye was being trained on him. Alana checking in far too much. Many phone calls from Jack. He dealt with them just fine. It didn't matter, he had covered his own tracks just as well as Hannibal had. He had learned a lot from that man. Now a perfect killer was created, another one and he would use it to his advantage.   
  
The storage locker in Freddie's name, he found that. It led him to the same place she was now reading the papers Hannibal had given her. He had pulled into the lot right next to her car. Now it was just a matter of finding out what locker was hers. For a much as the police touted it was secure he didn't see many people walking around the large area. The ones he did see were very easy to avoid.   
  
He heard movement, then something fell, there was cursing. It was her voice. He quickly rounded a corner and peeked his head over the side. It was Freddie and she was moving numbered boxes. They were sealed, brown cardboard unassuming. They were on a small cart that she had pushed up right in front of the storage locker she was now. She was too busy moving things to notice him. Good. When her back was turned so she could rearrange the box in her arms and pick it up a second time he ducked into the storage locker. She headed in confidently and screamed out when she saw him. 

* * *

"Leave." She growled, "If Hannibal wanted your help he would have asked for it. He wants mine. Seems genuinely disgusted with your behavior. It was _rude_." She hissed and set the box down leaving to get the second trying to pretend she wasn't terrified of him. Normally she wouldn't be but Hannibal had fucked with her and he had joined in. What she needed to do now was focus on the task at hand, what those papers had told her to do.   
  
"I don't have to take orders from you." He said and approached her. She shoved past him roughly and walked into her locker. The scent of him, the sweat, the anger, the rage...she hated herself for getting aroused by it. **Fuck**. She wanted him, she wanted him to hurt her. Especially after the little tease Hannibal had given her earlier.   
  
"You don't have to but it might be within your best interest." Will breathed and shoved her up against the wall. "I'm going to rape you now." There was a dark laugh in her ear. She shivered violently, the idea appealed to her, being fucked by him. It was something she wanted as much as she didn't. The terminology he used was just breathtaking for her.   
  
"Will consider what you just said and take a step back." She snarled.   
  
"Never." He whispered, grabbing her hair and yanking back on it. Something which she was very accustomed to. His hand pushed her skirt up and found that she wasn't wearing panties very quickly. "Oh you dirty slut..." He laughed, his rough hand pressing and stroking over her folds.   
  
"Fuck you, Will."   
  
"That's exactly the plan baby." He snickered and yanked her hair back again. She screamed out and closed her eyes as her inserted two fingers into her ass. She squealed loudly but he jammed his other fingers into her mouth. Out of what she had been trained to do from hours of that damn gag in her mouth she started to suck on them eagerly and got even more aroused when he forced them further, causing her to gag and choke. Her eyelids fluttered and a low rumble of pleasure escaped her. "Where are your panties?"   
  
She wasn't sure why he asked that, there was no way to answer it. Not that she'd even tell him the truth at that point. The fingers in her cunt were removed and then shoved in her mouth in place of the other ones. His cock was driven in next, he started to pound into her with a mad lust. _Had it been a week for him as well? Longer?_ He slammed her forehead into the wall, hard enough to daze her a bit and moved his hand from her mouth.   
  
"W-Will..." She slurred a bit. Now she was dizzy with pleasure and a blow to the head. This was terrifying and magnificent. It was what she needed and to even think that hurt. Master would not like this. Master would be very upset with this. He had said she was his property and not to take any other man. It wasn't like she could exactly stop Will, though, he knew all the right buttons to push. "P-Please stop....Master..."  
  
"Master is in jail and he's not getting out. I'm your Master now. Your owner. You are just a hot little fuck toy." He breathed, without warning pulling out of her cunt and slamming into her ass. When she opened her mouth to scream he clamped his hand over her and gripped her jaw tightly in a warning. She could tell just one small twist could completely dislocate it. There would be no screaming from her even if it was in pleasure.   
  
He pumped in and out of her roughly, spasms rocking her, wave after wave of pleasure. She only wanted him to stop because she knew Master wouldn't like it but her body did. Her ass clenched around him desperately trying to milk his cock for all it was worth. She let out tiny little squeaks and whimpers but nothing that would draw attention to them.   
  
"That's right, learn your place, be quiet, and take my cock." He laughed and bit into her neck firmly. When she felt the skin break she came, once again losing control of her bladder out of fear, pleasure, even because it's usually what she did when Hannibal fucked her. As much as he claimed to hate it, he repeatedly tried to get that result so she was never sure if he truly despised it or not. It seemed to be somewhat entertaining of him to clean her up like a little doll once he had made her dirty. "Oh you little bitch, did you just piss on me?" He pulled out of her, shoving her down.   
  
Due to the pleasure her legs were weak and she fell easily. Due to her training she got on her knees, faced him, tilted her head back and opened her mouth. Looking up at him, waiting for the cum. Will smirked at her, she had been well trained but that didn't mean he really wanted to keep her. As long as she was around she was a variable he couldn't control and her only current motive was to help Hannibal. He grunted softly as he started to cum, coating her face, then her hair. As usual he followed it up by pissing on her. She didn't even try to move away from him. Curious. Hannibal must have been doing that to her too, he just hadn't been made aware of it. When he finished he backhanded her hard enough to knock her down. It angered him that nothing he did hurt her any more, shocked her. This was all wanted, there was no barrier for him to break. Nothing. Hannibal had taken every last bit of dignity and loyalty she had. Hannibal truly did own her. He despised that.   
  
"Do not help him, you will greatly regret it if you do. Mark my words, Ms. Lounds." Will snarled at her as he tucked his cock away. He basically sprinted out of there as she lay in a puddle of filth trying to catch her breath as well as trying not to scream. This was utterly horrible. Not what had happened but that she had actually enjoyed it. She mewled softly, dreading reporting this to Hannibal and wishing more than anything she could just have him back.


	17. A Seed Of Doubt

The most simple solution to this, at least the one she came up with after a few more hours, was to plant a seed of doubt. It hadn't been easy picking herself up after what Will had done. Hating herself for enjoying it to the level that she did. It wasn't right and she was painfully aware of that fact as much as she was aware she craved it anyway and almost didn't care. If she ultimately wanted to be abused in that way why did it matter the cause?

She knew that if she wanted Hannibal out, before the trial could commence there would need to be another murder. A copy cat, but so incredibly well copy catted that it threw doubt into the minds of a jury. That they wouldn't exactly know if it was the ripper they had sitting in that room or someone else. That's what she had to do. She had to kill. It hadn't really been that hard with Abigail, but Abigail had been dying already. She had still done it though. Still jammed that knife into the girl's neck. Ended it. _Hadn't it ultimately felt good? That power?_

The best way to cause confusion and doubt in the minds of a jury was kill again. Allow the lawyer to argue that they may not have caught the ripper. Juries were incredibly easy to fool especially with a good lawyer and Hannibal could more than afford a good lawyer. After moving the boxes she thought had been the most important to hide, she went and grabbed the doctor's bag sitting on a shelf in the original storage locker and headed to her car.

Dirty, sweaty, smelling of piss and shame she got in her car and started to drive. Everything after Will had left took no more than fifteen minutes and no one approached her or saw her after that point so she wasn't exactly worried being seen as defiled as she was. Getting into the hotel was a bit harder. Though she had tried to clean up before walking through the vast lobby there wasn't an easy way to hide that smell.

It didn't seem like Will had followed her or even knew where she was staying currently. That didn't mean he wouldn't find out. Figure out the alias she was staying under, ask question, poke around until he figured it out. As of now she still had time and he would still have to pass through a lobby and by an actual crowd of people to get to her. She was hoping that would keep him back. Social interaction. The stares of strangers. He seemed to hate that on a very high level. It was why she had chosen a hotel over a cheap motel. Yes there was less privacy but there was far more protection.

While she showered she thought about the rest of the documents in the folder. For some reason Hannibal had put her name on a joint bank account. One with a lot of money in it. There were other accounts listed, some of them offshore and from odd countries. Not that she could see the amounts in them, those had been blacked out. Didn't matter. She assumed the man was rich. _Why give her access to that one though? Was he not afraid she would just empty it and run off? That he would be stuck where he was forever?_

Yet something in him must have known she wouldn't do that. She hadn't really even contemplated actually doing that. Though she had questioned if he thought she might, it hadn't been something she thought of. Instead she was thinking of how it could be used to help him. Money was a huge bargaining tool. She was no stranger to bribing people and so she figured that's what he wanted her to do with it. _But who to bribe? Why? To what end?_ That was something she had to figure out and very carefully. Attempting to bribe the wrong person to help Hannibal could get her in a lot of trouble that she wouldn't want to be in.

He had not only trusted her with his property in the form of a storage locker but he had given her money, well essentially, and a lot of it. She must have been someone he believed to have trained to a high level. Even better than Will. She knew she was a moron for not taking that money and getting the hell out of the country but she only wanted him back. At that point, only he knew how to take care of her. Any price she had to pay, any risk she had to take, it would be well worth it to get that man back to her.

Climbing out of the shower she dried off and wrapped her hair in a towel. There was going to have to be some extensive planning and research done before this kill could be made. If she didn't copy him and his M.O just right then it would instantly be found as a fake. She just needed to buy time and if there was anything she was good at, it was misdirection.

After a few hours of research, and recalling memories of her time with Hannibal she figured out who to target. It would have to be someone random. Not someone Hannibal had known to be associated with. Should it be someone like that then it would be more obvious it was a copy cat. At least in her mind. No she had to go rogue on this. Just choose a random victim. Over the months she had spent with Hannibal, what she heard him say to Will and how she heard him talk, it was clear to her how he chose his victims.  The rude. The insufferable. She would just have to find someone who fit that. Not exactly hard in the world she traveled in.   
  
Gathering up her purse and changing into a rather nice dress, she headed out of the hotel room and back towards her car. It was about time some of the seedy bars in D.C would be opening and that was probably one of the best places to find a rude victim. First guy to hit on her would probably good enough. No one would ever suspect a tiny little red head with a penchant for journalism would be trying to lead anyone to their ultimate death.  

The bar she chose was crowded. Too noisy. Horrible. This was not something she enjoyed nearly as much as she used to. Her hair had been straightened out, it made her less recognizable. The curls usually gave her away before anything else did. She wouldn't need anyone to remember Freddie Lounds had been in the same bar as the victim that night. She had it pulled back and pinned up. No one seemed to know it was her. Usually she got at least one comment, but not tonight. **Good**.   
  
She ordered a glass of brandy, a very expensive brand and turned to the man next to her who was smoking. Not that anyone was technically allowed to do that inside in D.C but a lot of bars allowed it anyway. Even vice cops weren't smart enough to tread in a bar like this. The cliental were all rather terrible people. She had only been here a few times when seeking information. Mafia men. Powerful men. That's what this bar was. Overly classy but overly dangerous.   
  
"Can you possibly spare one of those? Fresh out." She told the guy, showing him her purse, "I'd gladly pay you for one."   
  
"No problem." The guy said handing it over and reaching for his lighter to light it for her. Damn. He had been nice and then gone above that to actually light her cigarette. Well it wasn't like she didn't need a good smoke. It had been something she had been craving for a while now. She thanked him and took a long drag from it before turning around to see her brandy had been set out. She set down more than enough money to pay for it and stood up, heading through the crowd of mafia idiots and their bimbo trophy wives trying to find someone who would be rude. Annoying. Anything really.   
  
Brandy wasn't at all her favorite thing but the smell reminded her of Hannibal and she sure as hell knew he wasn't getting a good brandy where he was. Might as well enjoy it for him. Her phone went off and she sighed. As she reached out to set her glass down her elbow was bumped roughly causing her to drop the glass, much of the drink getting onto her dress.  
  
"Watch it you bitch." A woman spat at her. Freddie growled, forgetting all about her phone for the moment and turned to see who had said that. Some tall, blond, fake pair of tits was glaring at her. Well then, Freddie had just found her newest victim. Now she just had the issue of isolating her from the herd and getting her to a place to end it all. 

She didn't stick around long enough to get another drink. She just finished her cigarette and walked out, hanging around near by waiting for that woman to leave. Hoping she was going to walk out alone. Her car was parked down the street but in perfect view of the bar exit with a pair of binoculars (which she always had on hand).   
  
Just when she was about to give up hope that the woman was ever coming out (how did Hannibal even do this?) she saw the blond hair and red dress step outside. She was with a man. Dammit. Well that was just great, it looked like she was going to have to wait for another victim. Time was running thin. She started the car and heard shouting. When she looked up again, the woman was fighting with the man she had just left with. He was shoving her and she was shoving him back. That woman was basically asking for someone to slice her up.   
  
Freddie rolled down her window to see if they were yelling loud enough to catch anything one of them might be saying. At first it was just kind of a jumbled mess of angry screams but then something very loud and clear.   
  
"Have fun walking home in those heels bitch." The guy said, heavy New York accent. He stormed off in the other direction.   
  
"FUCK YOU JOEY!" She yelled, "I DON'T NEED NO RIDE FROM A LIMPED DICK SISSY!" The woman headed off in the other direction. Freddie grinned and watched her, gently pulling the car from the curb just as this Joey guy was about to pass her. He was fuming. Whatever had happened, it hadn't been nice. Freddie was getting the feeling not many people would actually miss a woman like her.   
  
Freddie drove passed her without pause or even to look where she was going. At the end of the long block she parked her car and got out. The woman was approaching a city park in the dead of night. This was going to be just perfect. All it would take was getting the drop on her and since Freddie was now ahead of her, it would be a matter of pouncing and driving a knife into her. The neck would be the best option, it would be fatal and prevent her from screaming.   
  
Her leather gloved hands wrapped around the weapon she was holding as she sidled up to a large tree that would cover her, taking in a deep breath. _Was she really about to kill someone to free a man who should by all right be in jail?_ She could just stop now, go back, take the money....no. Master needed her. He was the only one who understood her, the only one who knew what she craved. This was happening here and now.   
  
The woman was muttering angrily to herself as she continued to walk. Not paying attention to her surrondings, just drunkenly rambling about how Joey was a prick. Well it would be the least of her problems in a moment. A she entered the darkened area, the place between the street lamps that would conceal anything happening, Freddie leapt out at her. The knife was next, straight through the bitch's neck. She fell violently and there was a rather large spray of blood. A weird sound left her victim's throat but nothing overly loud.   
  
Freddie stepped over her, wiping the blood from her eyes. Lucky for her that this had all happened on a grassy area. , no chance of staining the sidewalk with blood. She got down, studying the woman's face as she died, choking on her own life fluids as they spilled out of her. If she ever was recognized, Freddie didn't know. What did did know, was killing that woman brought her far more pleasure than she thought it might. 

Will approached quickly from behind Freddie. He'd had his eye on her all night. She had been so preoccupied watching someone else, she had never noticed him. He was thinking this was quite a mistake until he actually saw her kill. _What was she doing? Why? What the hell possessed her to do anything like that? How far had Hannibal gotten into her head? How much did he hate that Hannibal had gotten into her head as well as his?_   
  
"Fancy meeting you here on this lovely night." He spoke to her. She reached down and yanked the knife back out of the woman's neck. Thunder clapped loudly over head, a flash of lightening. No rain yet though. She turned towards him and brandished the knife in his line of sight.   
  
"Back the fuck off Will, unlike you I just killed for pleasure. A second time." She hissed. He glared at her. A second time? What did she mean by that? Then it hit him. Abigail.   
  
"You really did kill Abigail. He wasn't lying." Will said.   
  
"Yes and no. Due to unlucky  or possibly lucky circumstances, for me at least, I tricked him into stabbing her instead of me. As she lay dying he forced me to finish the job. Either way that little bitch had it coming. Fucking moron didn't know when to run, what was good for her. Now, run along. Find little Jack and tell him what you just saw. I'll be long gone by that point." She told him turning back to the body and pulling it up. Her car wasn't far from here, she just needed to get it in the trunk.   
  
"What exactly do you think you are doing?" He asked.   
  
"What does it look like?"   
  
"If you want to copy cat one of his killings you need my help." Will said. It was really the most obvious reason to him she'd be doing any of this. He had thought of the exact same thing to do. The only thing was he hadn't struck yet because she was right. He couldn't kill. He wanted to, there was a desperate driving urge to cross that line but he couldn't. He had been waiting for her to make the strike. This was something he hoped she never figured out about him though. As brutal as he could be with her, as much as he fantasized about killing her, about getting away with it, some moral fiber, no matter how thin would not allow him to.   
  
"Fuck off Will." She snapped.   
  
"Ms. Lounds, you need to fool forensic experts. This is not a game nor is it easy. You need, Every. Last. Detail. to be correct. Who do you think can figure this out better than me?" He asked her. Thunder again, rain started to fall. A light spray at that point, not a downpour. 

* * *

Freddie knew he was right and she hated him for it. Standing there in the rain and the dark for any longer only risked them getting caught. She nodded at him and dropped the body. Going to her trunk she opened it. The back had already been lined with a tarp to make sure she didn't get much if any evidence in there. Will grinned at her, his eyes looking a bit too much like Hannibal's still as he lifted the body and jammed it back in there.   
  
"Where were you planning on staging this?" he asked. A loud boom of thunder. The rain started to pour. At least this would really fucking mess up forensic evidence, wash that blood away and quickly. How no one had come across this other than him she didn't know. Stranger things had happened she supposed.   
  
"Didn't really think that far ahead." She said honestly, standing in the rain letting herself get positively soaked with it. She needed to get the blood off of her before getting in the car. Will must have sensed this because he didn't tell her to get in just yet he watched her as she rinsed the wet evidence from her gloves. After removing them she tossed them to the ground and went into the back seat, reaching in very carefully and pulling out a plastic bag. "Keep me covered." She said.   
  
"What for?" Will asked.   
  
She rolled her eyes and stripped out of the dress she was in pulling on a second one. The gloves she had been wearing along with the shoes and the dress went into the trunk with the body next, along with the knife. She'd need to burn those. Or bury them. Just make sure they weren't found. After that she got into the car, soaked to the bone and shivering, reaching for a pair of sneakers from the passengers seat. Will joined her as lightening flashed overhead and there was another boom.   
  
"You are far smarter than I thought you might be." Will told her as he slammed the door. She gave him a look and started the car. "Start driving, I know a good place to put her."   
  
"Right." She said. It was probably a mistake to trust him to this level but she supposed he could also end up dead if he made a move to piss her off. She had finally found the appeal in killing that Hannibal must have. Especially rude people who didn't know how to behave.


	18. Tied Hands

“You know William, this would be much easier if you told me where we were going.” Freddie basically growled at him from the drivers side of the car. For one it was pouring rain almost like a spout had opened in the sky. For another, he was only telling her when to turn right as they needed to. Randomly shouting LEFT and RIGHT. It wasn’t helping her anxiety. She was someone who needed to be in control. The only one worthy of controlling her was Hannibal. Not some pissant lackey that Hannibal used to have. Though she was aware that Hannibal was psychotic she was also aware Hannibal appreciated her far more than him because she listened. She obeyed. Above all when she got him out, she would be the favorite one, he’d be lucky if he lived.

“Keep driving, bitch. We are close now.” He said. She wasn’t sure how he could tell, between the falling rain and the pitch black darkness, there was no way he knew where they actually were, right? Or maybe he wanted it that way. Maybe it was more important they get to somewhere isolated even if they didn’t know where that isolated area was. If neither of them really knew the exact location the body was place, neither could implement the other if one of them decided to run to the police, or more likely, Crawford. “STOP!”

She slammed on the breaks, both of them jerking forward violently. Will’s head knocking into the window a bit as the car slid a few feet before stopping. Freddie snickered and he growled at her. It was pitch black there other than the illumination from the headlights of the car. Freddie turned to look at him. Another flash of lightening from over head and then a loud boom of thunder made her wince a bit. In the distance she could see trees and a large field. No houses, no lights, no cars, no people. They truly were completely in the middle of nowhere.

“What now?” She asked him, reaching under her seat for a powerful flashlight she kept in there for emergencies, or rather snooping around places she shouldn’t be.

“That…is a surprise.” He said grabbing onto her neck and squeezing tightly. Her cry was cut off in a choke and she tried to smack him in the head with the flashlight but he worked fast. It occurred to her he didn’t intend for her to die, he really just wanted her to pass out. The way he was pressing on her neck was blocking blood flow to her brain and mere moments later she was completely passed out.

* * *

> _“Ms. Lounds?” The voice sounded weird, distorted. Like it was underwater. Freddie groaned and her eyes fluttered open. They were in a field, it was day time. The body of the woman she had just killed mounted on a few tree branches in front of her. Hannibal was standing there with an odd smirk on his face._
> 
> _“Master….” She breathed and scrambled to her feet, running to hug him tightly. He stroked her hair softly for a moment before giving it a rough yank and pulling her back. She cried out and fell down to her knees, starting to kiss at his feet, worshipping him passionately. Never questioning why he was there. It didn’t exactly matter. He was there and it was all she really cared about._
> 
> _“What did I tell you about staying away from William?” He asked her sternly._
> 
> _“Sir, I needed his help. He knows how to make the murders look like something you did. I had to get you out but it worked and—“_
> 
> _“I told you Ms. Lounds. Stay away from him. It is unwise to get tangled up in such madness.” He spoke, looking down at her. She tilted her head up to look at him. Eyes wide, very apologetic. “I will take care of him, not you.”_
> 
> _“But sir I needed his help I had to—“_
> 
> _“No, you didn’t have to be anywhere near him.” He breathed, “I am very disappointed in you Ms. Lounds.” He said, starting to walk away from her. She let out a low whine and scrambled after him quickly. He was so incredibly majestic. A pure vision of perfection, control, everything she was lacking currently. He couldn’t walk away from her, not like this._
> 
> _“P-Please sir.” She said softly. He turned back to look at her, eyes completely red and glowing like a demon’s. “I’m sorry.”_
> 
> _“You will be if you don’t correct this.” He snarled at her. Then things were pitch black and she was freezing cold._

* * *

When she became aware next, the room was too bright. She was naked, dripping wet, absolutely freezing and basically hog tied in the middle of some bedroom she had never seen before. This was definitely not some place that Hannibal owned. She could tell by the lame decorations on the wall, the fishing gear, and the fact that the entire place smelled like wet dog. Groaning softly she shifted and tried to remember the events that may have led up to her being left here exactly like this.

With how many times in the past few months she had blacked out only to wake up hours or days later, she was getting very tired of all this sudden amnesia. No one should have to live like this and yet living like this was a far better option than giving up and dying. She had to keep working forward, get Hannibal out of prison, and make sure that Will was never going to bother her again. That’s right, Will. He had been the last person she was with before waking up like this. He had grabbed her, strangled her, forced her to black out.

She must be in his house. The thing was, when they pulled up in the field or whatever, it was in the middle of nowhere. How long had she been out? Or the other question was, how close had they been to his house? Fuck! She wished she knew because out of all the people she was having trouble finding and address for, it was him. There was barking outside, there were dogs, more than just a few of them. It must be Will’s house. There were footsteps downstairs and Will talking to his dogs like everything was normal. She twisted and struggled trying to get in a better position but it wasn’t working. When he came in here she’d be positively defenseless.

There was a bunch of movement, drawers opening and shutting, dishes clanging around as she assumed Will was feeding the animals. She began to inch her way towards the door, even though she didn’t exactly have a plan once she got there. It wasn’t like she could just reach up and open it then walk out of there. Hannibal had told her to correct this but she wasn’t sure how. Heavy footsteps on the stairs. He was approaching. She couldn’t stop thinking of Master and how upset he would be with her. If she could just get away, run, she could fix this.

“Ms. Lounds, it seems you’ve gotten yourself in quite a bad position haven’t you?” Will laughed softly. He walked over to her and nudged her with one of his dirty boots.

“Let me go, what the fuck Will? We have a body to—“

“Taken care of. Now we just wait.” He said getting down by her. The way he lifted her was ridiculously easy, even comical. She didn’t like this and she knew Hannibal wouldn’t like her becoming a toy to someone else. He placed her on the bed quickly getting a rope around her neck, tying her to an eyebolt on the wall. There was a slipknot, the more she struggled the tighter it would pull and she didn’t have her hands to loosen it. Those were still tied behind her back. She looked up at Will. “I would like entertainment as I wait though.”

“Back off Will.” She hissed.

“You’re mine now, I helped you, and you owe me.” He breathed reaching to stroke her cheek. She turned her head away from him in disgust.

“I belong to Hannibal not you, and you damn well know that.” She hissed.

“Well, lets see if I can’t change your mind.” He chuckled and moved back from her. It was tempting to start struggling but as of now the noose around her neck was still pretty loose, until she had some sort of game plan it was best not to start struggling. _Was there a way to possibly break the rope? Maybe pull hard enough that the actual bolt became dislodged?_ She didn’t think she was strong enough to do either with just her neck before it killed her, or at very least caused her to pass out.

Will went to a dresser and pulled out something all too familiar to Freddie. After pressing a button on it she saw the electrodes flash and a loud “POP” was heard. She screamed and tried to scramble back. Will chuckled with amusement and came back to her. Jamming the thing into her thigh he pressed the trigger. The pain was absolutely agonizing. She screamed and he moved to her side and did it again. Her body twitched and convulsed with the second shock, her screams getting louder.

“Who’s your new Master?” he growled waving the thing in front of her face, rather impressed she had gone backwards and not pulled forwards, choking herself more.

“My MASTER….is **HANNIBAL**!” She hissed.

“WRONG!” Will yelled, he jammed the shocking device to her tit and pressed the button again. She howled out and he shifted, pinning her down tightly to do it to the other, then her shoulder. He only stopped this time because he felt something warm and wet soaking into his pants. “Are you seriously pissing yourself you whore?”

“F-Fuck…you…” She panted softly, she hadn’t really realized she was doing it, it wasn’t exactly easy to control that when one was being electrocuted, she imagined it was a rather natural reaction, didn’t make it less humiliating though. Will looked down, moving back from her quickly. It took another few seconds for her to stop going, most likely because she was empty not because she was able to stop it. He liked what he had done, even if it was rather disgusting. He looked her over.

“Filthy whore.” He snarled, then jammed the shocking device against her inner thigh and pulled the trigger. “THAT’S MY BED!”

“STOP!!!” She screamed, tears running down her face. If he thought this was bad she was basically laying in her own filth right now. He tossed the device aside carelessly and reached to untie the “leash” from the bolt in the wall. Grabbing a hold of it tightly, he basically threw her onto the floor. He pressed her face into the damp part of the bed and held her there. She screamed loudly.

“You are going to fix this right?” He panted, starting to rub against her excitedly. She screamed again, which just caused him to pin her face down more. She felt him shift as he removed his cock and thrust it into her, but it was her ass this time not her cunt. Somehow she hadn’t passed out just yet, possibly because she was used to all the torture Hannibal had put her threw. Her stamina was far different than a normal person’s. Even worse she was enjoying this. Her brain having been trained to get aroused at her own pain and humiliation. Will started to thrust brutally, she could feel a small tear open, nothing dangerous. Hannibal had done worse to her.

Her screams were muffled against the bed as he pounded into her brutally. his hand reached under her and slapped her cunt roughly, causing her sphincter to clench around him tightly. He laughed, groaned, and did it again, more roughly. Her muffled screams were music to him. If she wasn’t careful he was going to let one of his dogs go after her. She was no better than them after all. He grabbed her hair and yanked it back with one hand, untying her wrists with the other. Her screams instantly got louder and she tried to reach back to claw at him angrily. Still quite a bit of fight in her for what he had already done but she needed to learn. She kept flailing for a bit before going limp.

“That’s my good slut…” He panted, his thrusts sped up to a frantic pace before he pulled out of her and came all over her back. She grunted softly with the release of his cock and he turned her jamming her face down towards him. “Clean it.”

“I..I…”

“CLEAN IT!” He screamed. She yelled loudly and gagged before taking him into her mouth to do what she was told. Blood, shit, and cum streaked his cock and she was trying very hard not to vomit, lest she choke on it. The most offensive part of this to her was that he hadn’t let her cum, she was still craving it. She glanced around and noticed the taser, it wasn’t actually far from her. He wasn’t paying attention because he was a moron. She growled, bit down onto him, grabbed the taser as he howled then jammed it into his neck and pulled the trigger. In moments flat he was out like a light.

“Asshole.” She hissed loudly. After sitting back for a small moment to catch her breath she used the ropes to bind him. Then she spat in his face and kicked him in the side. She crawled for the bathroom, his cum dripping down her legs. She brought herself to orgasm twice, hating herself for it, then she cleaned up quickly. By the time she was out of the bathroom he had started to come around again. She glared at him and left the room, looking for her clothes. As tempting as it was to just kill him, Hannibal had told her to get away, not to hurt him. He said he would take care of it and she had to trust her Master would. After rummaging through his stuff she found her clothes and got dressed.

Grabbing her car keys she got to her car outside and started it, peeling out of there quickly, leaving the door open so his dogs would get out. She had to at least give it a chance that someone would come and find him tied up like that, because he wasn’t going to get up on his own.


	19. Delayed Reaction

“Agent Crawford? I have to speak to you at once. It was Will all of it…all of it was Will.” Freddie sobbed into the phone as she drove away from Will’s house. She had taken his car and not because it was the only option but because it was the best one. It was late, she sounded frantic, but that was the point. Her plan of action had been decided on and she was going to head into it full force.

“Freddie?” Jack muttered into the phone, “What’s going on.”

“Will…Will’s the killer! Don’t you see Jack?” Freddie whined as she sped on into the night. “I was so scared! I saw him do it! I saw him kill a woman! I was going to be next. He attacked…attacked me and…and then he raped me…Jack please.”

“You said Will had nothing to do with this.” Jack replied but he was starting to sound more and more awake as the conversation continued.

“I know what I said but I was scared. So scared of him…please you know I wasn’t…right…” she tried to explain without really using the word ‘insane’. Still with all she had been through with the marked amnesia, the black outs, and the trauma it would be very easy to find a lawyer to back up her claims, a psychiatrist as well. This was something she could pull off with a good enough story. If there was anything she was good at, it was weaving elaborate stories.

“So you are retracting your statements against Hannibal Lecter and Bedelia Du Maurier?” Jack asked her.

“Yes.” She sniffled, “Please! I barely got out of there I had to fight him, tie him up. He hurt me Jack!” There was a long pause and she waited with her breath held wondering if he would actually buy this or not. He didn’t seem to be the smartest of man at times and since all they had evidence wise of who the killer was, were her statements, it would be easy to turn this around and make it seem like Will was the one who had done everything.

“Will being a killer doesn’t negate the fact that Hannibal—“

“That was a story he made up! To distract you. Just let me explain.” Freddie begged him, slamming down on the breaks and narrowly missing another car. She had almost run a red light. That wouldn’t have been good.

“Alright, Ms. Lounds. Can you meet me at the FBI building?” Crawford said after another long moment.

“I’m on my way there now.” Freddie replied and hung up the phone. All she had to do was keep this act up for a bit longer and Hannibal would be free.

“What exactly did you see happen?” Jack said, sitting down with her in the interrogation room. As far as she knew, either police or FBI agents had gone to pick up Will from his house. She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes with some tissues that were set out on the table. It was a good thing she still looked kind of frightful with her hair how it was, the mark on her face from where she had been slapped and the bruise forming on her neck. Will had left plenty of evidence even if she had washed quite a bit of it away from herself.   
  
“T-Tonight or everything?” Freddie asked.   
  
“Lets start from the beginning?” Crawford said. She nodded slowly and took in a deep breath. They had made her wait once she had arrived at the FBI which she had been counting on. It gave her time to think of all the little details of her story and questions Jack might ask her, how she would respond to them as well.   
  
“That night when….when I just vanished with Abigail. The last man I did see was Hannibal Lecter because I was at his house. I was leaving, going to my car and I was hit from behind. I think he…he may have drugged me a bunch of times I don’t know, you did say there was stuff in my system right? Hallucinogens? Anyway it’s still mostly a blur. We went to a cabin somewhere…I don’t know. Will kept me there, cut my throat so I couldn’t make enough noise to scream. He was doing stuff with Abigail, too her, I could hear her screaming a lot but I was locked up. In a basement I think. Then he…he made me kill her like I said. I thought it was Hannibal because that’s the only face I remembered.” She took a deep breath and her shaky hand reached out to grab the glass of water sitting near by. She didn’t actually know that Hannibal had already told Jack that “Freddie could be mistaken as I was the last man she saw.” A statement like that was already working in her favor even if she didn’t know it had been said.   
  
“He told me…he told me that I had to eat her because, because it’s what her father would have wanted. I was scared and I attacked him, knocked him down and just ran. I guess a car must have picked me up or something…it’s still fuzzy that part of it. The next thing I knew was waking up in the hospital. I don’t actually know who the ripper is. I do know Will was very insistent that it was Hannibal, maybe when I was drugged he told me these things.” Freddie suggested.   
  
“Hannibal was caught trying to cut into you.” Jack said, “Will’s statement—“  
  
“Did Will say that’s what happened or did someone else see it?” Freddie asked slowly. “Will has been saying a lot of things Agent Crawford.” Jack looked at her like he had just had some sort of epiphany but then his expression went back to ‘no nonsense’ in a heartbeat.   
  
“So all of this, all of it, was a clever distraction technique to make us take our eyes off of Will?” Jack asked her. She nodded slowly and wiped her eyes again. Looking straight at him she took in a deep breath.   
  
“I know that I lied, I was terrified of him…you have to believe me.” She pleaded.   
  
“We had him in custody Ms. Lounds. We had him and you—“  
  
“I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO! I WAS SCARED!” She screamed a few more tears started to fall. “Look you are lucky I didn’t sue the FBI in the first place. I had every right to, STILL have every right to and you know it! All I’m asking is you take that man in and—“  
  
“You are claiming he killed another woman tonight. This could have been prevented if you had just—“  
  
“I KNOW!” She slammed her fist down on the table angrily, “I know and do you not think that I feel horrible about that? I will live with that innocent woman’s death on my conscience til the day I die. Along with Abigail, along with Leila Dawson. I will live with that too JUST as much as you. Do the right thing for once in your damn life. Bring him in!” She insisted. Jack nodded again and stood up before going towards the door. He stepped outside and she sat back, continuing to sob only because she knew she was being observed. Her head lowered down onto the table and she cradled it in her arms tightly. Hopefully they were all buying this song and dance. None of them seemed like the brightest crayons in the box. The door opened and Crawford came back in.   
  
“I don’t suppose you remember where Will put the body of this alleged victim then?” Jack asked.   
  
“Not exactly but I do know the general area, yes.” She whispered, lifting her head just slightly to look at him. Jack motioned for two other agents to come into the room.   
  
“You need to direct them there so we can check this out. Will is going to be brought in for questioning, see what he has to say.” Jack told her. Freddie stood up slowly and headed out with the two uniformed agents. She would only have to keep up this charade for a little bit longer and everything would be okay. 

* * *

Hannibal sat in his cell, staring blankly at the wall across from it. By that point he was seriously wondering if Freddie had actually done anything to help him, or if he was now just penniless while she ran off with his money. It hadn’t exactly been his first choice, to sign all of that over to her, but if the assets were in her name it was money that no one could touch until he figured out how to get out of there. He hoped that he hadn’t thought wrong about her. That she was as well trained as he had made her out to be. At that point, Freddie Lounds was probably he best ticket to freedom from this awful place and the very idea made him want to start laughing.   
  
He heard the door open from down the hall. The sound of shoes on tile as a person approached. They were not high heels, they were the sound of a man’s shoes. The pattern of steps alerted him to knowing that it was Chilton coming towards his cell. Taking a deep breath he stood up to greet him. The other man was small, riddled with a bunch of ego complexes that made him seem big because he some how got the job running this institution. As much as it was a joke, the very fact that he was the one in charge might help save his ass too. It had allowed Freddie to get in there in order for him to hand over the information that she needed.   
  
“You are free to go, Doctor Lecter.” Chilton said opening the cell door and pulling it back. Hannibal looked at him skeptically and started to head out of the prison. “Apparently Ms. Lounds was mistaken about what she said and Will Graham is the actual killer here.” Hannibal looked back at Chilton. This most certainly was an unpredictable turn of events. He had assumed that the woman would have just started on the path of bribery, getting people to help her help him escape. She had done something completely off the charts insane but it seemed to have worked. At least for the moment.   
  
“Will Graham is a very unstable and unpredictable man.” Hannibal confirmed. His records would even reflect a bit of that. He doubted they could actually be used to prove much of anything but he would provide what was useful should he be asked. It would most certainly promise him his freedom.   
  
“Yes, well Mr. Graham tells a different story. Albeit a very disconnected and odd one at best. It seems for once Mr. Lounds has decided to do good with her knowledge instead of evil.” Chilton responded as Hannibal headed down the hall to his freedom. For a moment, just a split second he did question if this was real. It was possible he had spent so much time in that cell that he was losing all sense of self, but a quick check of his own sensory perception told him this was not a hallucination.   
  
“Very well then. Where are my belongings? I’d like to get changed.” Hannibal said. The prison issued jumpsuit most certainly wasn’t his style. Of course he was going to have to see Freddie but if he were in a hurry to see her at this point it would just look odd. Keeping composure as always he allowed Chilton to lead him to another room. It seemed like things were starting to look up for him, even if it was at the cost of Will Graham’s freedom.


	20. All Good Things

It was hours before Hannibal actually went to find Freddie. He knew that there would be a few sets of eyes on him and for a while, though probably more for her protection than anything. He assumed it would not be abnormal to approach the woman who had “told the truth” and got him out of jail. He knocked on the door to her motel room and she opened it slowly looking like a train wreck. Her hair was a mess, eyes were red and irritated. They lacked sleep even though she looked wide awake. Completely paranoid would probably be the better way to describe it. He stepped inside as she stepped back to let him in, shutting the door behind him.

“You didn’t run.” He said softly.

“No.”

“Interesting.” He said taking a seat on her bed after brushing it off a few times. It wasn’t preferable to sit on a motel bed but he really didn’t want to attempt sitting on the chair. This was the more cleanly option as uncleanly as it was. “You are technically rich you know.”

“On paper.” She said and walked to her desk grabbing a folder and holding it out towards him with a shaky hand. He glanced into her eyes which were wild, shifting back and fourth as if she believed this to be a joke. A dream. That she’d wake up at any moment and none of it would be real. He took what she was offering and opened it up slowly. The paperwork in there would transfer the money back to him, all of it, all he would have to do was turn it into the bank.

“Thank you for keeping it safe then. To be honest I didn’t think you would use the approach you had but whatever works.” He said and stood up again heading for the door. She let out a low whine. Not very talkative, which was unusual for her but given the great stress she had been under it must have just been the lack of energy. He turned back, his head tilting slightly to the side, studying her.

“Please.” She whispered.

“What?” He asked.

“All I ask is you take me with you.” She said, one foot came forward taking a hesitant step towards him but not approaching too quickly. Still showing signs of complete submission to him with the way she held herself.

“Why would I do that?” He asked.

“I got you out of jail.” She pointed out sounding a bit flustered, her voice cracking with emotion and even a small bit of anger.

“I thanked you.” He said.

“I could have taken that money, I could have bought a boat, a mansion, hoped a jet. You would have had no legal recourse to get any of it back and I handed it over. No questions. Didn’t even need you to ask because I knew it was the right thing.” She said, her voice getting louder as she spoke to him. “With one word I could take it all back. I could prove to them all of them that—“

“But you won’t.”

“Really? That’s your plan here?” She asked him.

“Ms. Lounds, your credibility is very shaky and I am aware there are eyes on me. I have been released on a wing and a prayer, your word. Luckily there is enough evidence left pointing towards Will I need not worry for just a bit but I have to be careful.” Hannibal said, “I never loved you if that’s what—“

“Don’t patronize me. I know you didn’t love me.” Freddie hissed at him, “But you did like me. I was something to you in some way. I know you are a psychopath, incapable of everything but concern for yourself but I made you feel good. You accomplished something with me that you have never seen and now you want to walk out of here pretending like I was not created exactly how you wished?” Maybe she was far smarter than he gave her credit for. This wild stab in the dark of accusing Will, that might not have been as lucky of a shot as he thought. She was very interesting to him, he still wasn’t quite sure how her brain worked or what she would do next.

“I created you, you were fun, and now it’s over.” He said reaching for the door knob. Though she had no way of knowing it was just beginning, he wanted to observe what exactly she would do if he walked out of there. He didn’t even believe he could predict it correctly and that would be half the fun of this.

“You will not walk out of here.” She snapped storming over to him and grabbing his arm roughly. At her small height, nearly a foot shorter than him and a hundred pounds lighter this was almost comical but she was fierce and he had to at least recognize that much of it. He yanked his arm away and backhanded her, sending her to the floor. She screamed out and grabbed her face, trembling violently as he was sure pleasure rocked her small body. “Please Master.”

“Our transaction is complete. You will terminate contact with me.” He said, “You are smart enough to know what’s good for you and how to continue. Have faith in that.” He opened the door and stepped out hearing a loud scream and pounding on the door after it closed, but she didn’t open it, nor did she come after him. He headed back to his car and got inside. Tomorrow he would take care of things at the bank and get the money back into his name where it belonged. He was aware that she had just become a heavy liability but it would be interesting to watch the events unfold as days passed.

A week passed and there wasn’t a peep from Freddie. When Hannibal had gone back to her hotel room the night before the trial the manager said she had paid her bill in full and left the area. There was no forwarding address or phone number. She had paid everything in cash and left in the dead of night. Hannibal hoped that she wasn’t stupid enough to actually skip town. Her witness testimony was something he needed to keep him from being thrown back in jail. He had been ordered not to leave town as well, not until the trial was over and all statements were given. A verdict was read, and it was determined there wasn’t very much to worry about. Will was pretty much useless by that point, half insane, having been painted that way very nicely by both Freddie and Bedelia. Coupled with his notes from therapy sessions there was no way anyone was going to believe a word he said. He still needed her back and the problem was he had no idea where she had gone.  
  
Had he found out earlier than the night before the trial, he wouldn’t have been so shaken. Though she had stayed quiet and not done much, he hadn’t predicted she would just take off like she had. This was going to prove to be a huge problem and he wasn’t quite sure how to fix it. Around midnight he left his house and started to drive. People like Freddie Lounds had friends and enemies. His best bet was to check out places that she was most likely to frequent. Find out if she had a friend or possibly even family in the area. He had searched her name on the internet, most paths were either dead ends or led him right back to Tattlecrime.com which for some reason was still being updated. Nothing unusual, regular articles covering the trial, things about Will Graham, Abigail Hobbs, and Freddie’s own version of the events that had transpired. Nothing weird, or incriminating about him. In fact, given the mental state in which he saw her last he was surprised the articles were completely coherent and gave away nothing.  
  
There was no mention of moving locations, no mention of a new city. A woman who was accountable to no one could vanish very easily. He was starting to lose it. She had to show up to the courthouse, just had to. He roamed the city, going to some of the seediest parts, hoping someone would try to be rude to him so he had an excuse to kill. Either willingly or unwillingly, Freddie had managed to get under his skin. He actually wouldn’t be surprised if this was a calculated move on her part but to what end? Most likely to get him to snap. To get him caught. He didn’t like that idea at all. Her sitting somewhere, believing she was completely in control.  
  
At around three in the morning he broke into Bedelia’s house. She had been released as well. They had been in contact on and off. He had seen her once or twice for dinner. Bedelia was in the dark about where Freddie had gone. They sat up most of the night trying to figure out anything they could. Going over articles, looking over internet information. Nothing was helping. Hannibal figured that she was probably using an assumed name, an alias, or Freddie Lounds wasn’t her actual name at all. She might have already been under an alias. He still didn’t know. By the time eight o’clock came around he had already gone home and changed into his suit to view the court proceedings and make sure Will Graham was tucked away for his alleged crimes. 

At ten o’clock, Freddie Lounds was called to the witness stand. People turned to look, the doors did not open. Hannibal felt a minor twinge of anger and annoyance at this woman. She was really pushing it for all parties involved. Will turned and looked at Hannibal with a smug smile spreading across his face. Hannibal’s lip twitched. Order in the court was called when people started to mutter that she wasn’t coming.    
  
“Maybe she wasn’t was well trained as you hoped.” Will said.  
  
“You will keep your client quiet!” The judge ordered. Hannibal stood up quickly and the doors opened. Freddie was there with the bailiff holding onto her arm and directing her where to go. Her outfit was rather stunning. Royal purples, blues, vibrant greens. Like she had hit the jackpot and had gone shopping in Milan or Paris. Her heels severe and her hair completely straight, pulled back. Her nails done, makeup as well. Just a touch of it to make her look more young and innocent. Violently she shoved the bailiff back and grabbed his gun. Three quick shots he was down and two other armed officers as well. Head shots for all three of them. People screamed and hit the floor. Hannibal arched a brow and began to get down as well. Blood had splattered across her face. The first man she shot had been less than a foot away from her when she’d done it.  
  
“HANNIBAL LECTER!” She called loudly. Hannibal stopped what he was doing and stood back up slowly. Aiming the gun towards his head confidently she stepped towards him, placing the barrel under his chin roughly. “I did it all for you.” She whispered and moved the gun to her own head.  
  
“NO!” He yelled angrily and grabbed her hand, forcing the gun away from her face. He didn’t wrestle her back though, nor did he attempt to take the gun from her. She stood there, her eyes shimmering with tears. Pain. Rage. He didn’t look to happy himself. They could hear scrambling outside the doors as reinforcements were called. “You better damn well have a plan here.”  
  
“Somewhat.” She said and grabbed him again, placing the gun back to his neck and yanking his hair roughly. The doors opened and the hammer on her gun was pulled back trying to show she meant business. “I AM WALKING OUT OF HERE WITH HIM!” She said shoving Hannibal in front of her, basically using him as a shield. Out of all the things he thought he could predict, this had been the lowest on his list.  
  
“Ms. Lounds…do not get me shot.” He hissed at her.  
  
“SHUT UP!” She screamed. “Move. FAST!” Since there wasn’t something she wanted to negotiate over they had to let her walk out with him. There were shouts for her to stop, guns aimed at her but she moved erratically, turning him every which way she could in order to make it very hard to get a clear shot at her. Someone had told her how to do this, not that he had any clue in hell who. It was definitely someone in law enforcement, or at least previously in it. They made it to the front door of the courthouse.  
  
“Ms. Lounds…”  
  
“See that white van, avoid it.” She breathed, “You’d be very wise to listen to me Hannibal I have a lot of eyes on you and I don’t mean FBI. Run, black car around the corner. You want to live you’ll do it. Try me if you think I’m joking.” She said very softly still heading down the steps with him.  
  
“There is no way out of this, if you are acting alone you—“  
  
“Mmmm….but I’m not.” She breathed. As they hit the bottom steps Hannibal glanced over at the white van, they were about 500 yards from it but the engine started and that’s when he caught a glimpse of what was under it. The thing was rigged to explode.  
  
“You have to be kidd—“  
  
“RUN!” she hissed. He looked at her and shoved her back before taking off. She ran in the opposite direction. Gunshots rang out, not that he had any clue where they were coming from it seemed like there was an armed shooter in that van. She had told him where to go, she had said she had eyes on him. There was no way in hell she had done that to a van herself, but now she was running towards it? Her funeral he supposed. Whoever was in this getaway car that he was supposed to be headed for, he was quite sure he’d overpower them and get away just fine. He’d merely look like a victim of Freddie and this would no way incriminate him. Or so he hoped. The ground shook and he was knocked forward. Car alarms started to go off. Smoke, a lot of it. Fire. Glass. Blood. The van had blown up and he had no clue where Freddie was. He scrambled to his feet and kept running. There was more shouts, gun fire. In the confusion it was possible they had lost track of where he had ran as well.  
  
Around the corner there was a black van and the doors opened up. A large man poked his head out of the back and motioned to him. Well dressed guy, quite handsome, black suit. His whole look just screamed mafia. Freddie had gone to the mafia. Fuck. He was kind of screwed now. He picked up his feet and sprinted for the van getting in. The doors slammed and it sped off down the street. Breathing hard, he stared at the man who had casually taken a seat on a bench in there.  
  
“Hannibal Lecter?” He asked after a moment.  
  
“Yes.” He said slowly and got seated on another bench across from the mystery man.  
  
“Good.” He said and pulled a nice looking pistol from his jacket. He kept it low but trained directly on Hannibal’s chest. “Gonna go for a ride now.”  
  
“Really.” Hannibal said sounding bemused.  
  
“Nice ride to the country.” He said, if anything it seemed this man didn’t know how to blink. He never flinched and never looked away. Maybe he needed to revise his plan of trying to overpower whoever was in the van. There was a metal divider between this guy and the driver anyway. The driver who he was sure was also armed and dangerous as hell. Hannibal nodded and sat back. Looks like he had no choice but to listen to whatever was supposed to happen next. 

* * *

It was a few hours before the van stopped. Since there were no windows back there, Hannibal had absolutely no way of telling where they were going. All he knew was that they were headed due south. That was about it. The man in the back motioned to the doors of the van with the gun, Hannibal had only seen him blink three times the whole trip. Obviously he had been well informed of the cargo he was transporting. Hannibal rarely felt that he couldn’t attack someone but this man seemed to have a lot of information. He opened the back doors and got out. Freddie was waiting there, standing by a Bentley, his Bentley to be exact. In her hand she held a lit cigarette.  
  
“Payment is due, Freddie.” The man said getting out of the car behind Hannibal. He still had the gun trained to kill should Hannibal make an odd move.  
  
“Alright. Take what you want.” Freddie said casually. From nowhere Hannibal was punched in the side of the face, before he could retaliate another blow came from the other side. He was down and kicked twice in the back. Hard enough to make him retch and nearly vomit. Then he saw the very nice italian shoe coming for his face. “HEY!” The foot stopped.  
  
“You said…”  
  
“That’s enough Mark. I gave you what you wanted.” She said. After another moment she went into the back of the Bentley and got out a black duffle bag, with a bit of a grunt she tossed it in this Mark guy’s direction. It landed at his feet.  
  
“I ever see your face again, you’re dead. Leila Dawson was my fiancé and you are very lucky that bitch has enough information on me to send me to jail if she wanted. I will kill you though. Don’t come back.” Mark said and got into the back of the van. The moment the doors were slammed shut it pulled away and Hannibal groaned loudly from the pain of that attack. At least now he knew why it had just happened.  
  
“Mafia?” He coughed and then spit out some blood pooling in his mouth even though he found that action relatively rude.  
  
“Crooked cop with mafia connections, yes.” Freddie said, “Now, you are either coming with me or going back into town to be killed by a hit man that Mark will send after you. What’s it going to be?”  
  
“I’m the ripper, you think I can’t defend myself?” He asked and sat up.  
  
“They’ll just send more. You’ll be more paranoid than you already are.” She grinned. He studied her. Even though this had been violent and brutal, he also could have never predicted she’d do all of this just to make sure she got to stay with him. If anything, she knew how to throw curve balls.  
  
“The person to last the longest before you…36 hours. You’ve been going for months.” He said, rising to his feet and swaying a bit as he tried to brush his suit clean of the dirt that had gotten on it. “You shoot up a court house, take me hostage, have me beat up, make sure I will not exactly be welcomed back home all because you need a Master? I could kill you right now.”  
  
“Huh, funny thing is that you haven’t.” She said and reached to open the car. He lunged at her, pinning her to it tightly. After wrestling the cigarette out of her hand he placed it to the back of her neck and held it, feeling her twitch and jerk against him as she screamed out in pain and pleasure, orgasming several times before the embers were completely snuffed out.  
  
“Thank you…I suppose.” He whispered in her ear before releasing her. “The question is, where do we go now? They’ll be looking for you as well.”  
  
“P-Possibly…but Leila was…they never found her body. Probably because we ate her, she WAS just a missing person until I took her identity. She owns a nice house in Japan and is exceedingly wealthy. Or at least was. Now I am.” Freddie panted, “As for me, they’ll think I died in the exploding van. Mark is a forensic expert he took care of the details.” Hannibal narrowed his gaze her her. Though it was most likely in the future her could become very bored with her, he definitely wasn’t bored with her now. He didn’t exactly want to uproot his life to move to another country but, it could be a lot worse. It might be fun to see what else she had planned. He held his hand out to her and she put the keys in it, going around to the other side of the car to get in. He started it up.  
  
“Where to?”  
  
“Five miles down the road is a private air strip, we’ll take a small plane to a chartered jet and get the hell out of here before they realize Will Graham is an innocent man.” She said, grabbing a few tissues to place on the bleeding burn wound he had made on the back of her neck.  
  
“Very well. I hope you know Japanese.” He muttered as he started to drive in the direction she told him.  
  
“I’ll hire a translator.” She laughed and looked over at him. The relationship was odd to say the least but it was interesting and as long as that was still the case, Hannibal would keep going. He honestly had nothing better to do anyway. Maybe it actually was a good thing that she was the one who ended up hopping the fastest.


End file.
